Creative Professionals Research Articles

Spatial distancing and social closeness: The work of creative professionals during the pandemic

As a complete recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis does not seem possible in the near future, the survival of many creative professions is under threat in Russia and other countries. Strict anti-pandemic measures were introduced in Moscow at the end of March 2020 and lasted for a little more than two months. One of the main requirements was to work from home and go outside as rarely as possible. Most Russian creative professionals such as photographers, makeup artists, actors, musicians, stand-up comedians and television hosts found themselves in very unfamiliar conditions since their work presumes physical contact with other people. However, even artists who usually work alone like jewellers or designers met with came across practical and psychological difficulties as well and had to adapt to the new order. This research focuses on two examples of creative work during the COVID-19 pandemic: Russian jewellery designer Katia Rabey’s project ‘Quarantine Rings’ and the participation of Russian makeup artist Yulia Rada in virtual commercial photo-shoots. I am interested in how the artists perceived the changes introduced as a result of the pandemic and how these changes emphasized the digital side of contemporary creative labour. Despite the differences in the challenges that the two artists met, both of them stressed the importance of social closeness.

Социально-экономические условия развития человеческого капитала сельских территорий

Abstract. Agricultural regions of the Russian Federation, whose strategic economic sector is agriculture, have significant opportunities for economic growth and development. They are highly important for ensuring the country's food security and depend significantly on the state of human capital of their rural territories. In this regard, the research objective of this study is to analyze the socio-economic conditions for the formation and development of human capital in rural areas of the Kurgan region (as a traditional agricultural region of the Ural Federal District and one of the ten depressed regions of the Russian Federation identified as such by the Government of the Russian Federation). Results. The article presents the results of assessing the level of development of the agricultural sector of the economy and the state of the social infrastructure of the region as the most important conditions for the formation of human capital accumulated within its territory. On the basis of theoretical generalizations, a rigorous analysis of statistical data, results of the surveys it was offered summarized information, indicating that (1) the economic conditions for the development of rural areas favor the formation and development of human capital of the required quality due to the current positive trends in the field of specialization of production, its technical equipment, technological innovation, stimulating state policy, (2) in the village there is a low level of development of social infrastructure, leading in turn low attractiveness of rural areas for highly professional, educated, creative professionals who are the basis of human capital in any field of activity. Scientific novelty. The results obtained in this research have theoretical novelty and practical value, including: 1) justification of the importance of creating a decent socio-economic environment for the development of remote territories; 2) conclusions confirming the need to provide special conditions for attracting unique specialists to rural areas; 3) arguments for stimulating convergence processes necessity in the levels of socio-economic development of all rural territories.

Safe Spaces for Enabling the Creative Process in Classrooms

Based on interviews with five creative professionals this article looks to investigate the creative experience as a source of data on how educators might create space for enabling the creative process in the classroom. Looking toward professional artists who are also committed educators provides core commentary on how to maximise creative experiences in the classroom. Whilst acknowledging the importance of physical space, the following article looks purposefully toward how to enable space as an internal state of being, with the intent toward establishing transdisciplinary discussions that stimulate and provoke creative pedagogical research across an interdependent continuum. The research concludes that enabling space for the creative process lies in the educators’ ability to create safe physical, social and emotional spaces for exploring creative processes. Implications for initial teacher education, professional development and classroom practice are identified.

Determining a Sustainable Career for the Independent Creative Professional

This study presents a comparative case study of the careers of 105 creative professionals in Western-Europe . The study looks into both engagement and subjective career success as indicators of sus...

Entrepreneurial Competencies in the Creative Industry: A Study with Music Professionals

Despite the importance of the creative industry for the economy and the need for entrepreneurship education in this area (DCMS, 2001; UNESCO, 2013), there is still a limited understanding of the content and methods to be used in teaching entrepreneurship to creative industry professionals (Damásio & Bicacro, 2017; Matetskaya, 2015). The present research aims to understand the needs and ways of learning of creative industry professionals, regarding the development of their entrepreneurial competences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 Brazilian musicians who have their own businesses. The results indicate that most musicians learn best through practice, searching for information and learning contents on Youtube and face difficulties to concentrate while learning. Regarding the learning needs of entrepreneurial competences, management skills, especially time management and organization, stand out. The article contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurial competences and learning in the creative industry. It brings evidence about the learning process of creative professionals (musicians) and reveals main development needs of entrepreneurial competences in this context.

Key Factors for Hard-to-Recover Hydrocarbon Resources Development on Land and the Arctic Shelf: Smart Technologies vs. Smart Specialists

This article deals with one of the development paths which is currently not given almost any attention by oil and gas companies, despite the fact that it can contribute economically and environmentally when developing hard-to-recover resources on the Arctic shelf. The suggested development path is based on an understanding of the “smart” nature phenomenology and training of modern creative professionals in the base universities. This development path can be called “intensive”. It allows to substantially reduce expenses while obtaining higher hydrocarbon influx rate and preserving the natural potential of reservoirs created by the nature itself. Today’s specialists working on development of information technologies using big data, neural networks and machine learning call this development path “nature-like technologies”. However, considering natural reservoirs which contain oil and gas, we can talk about a natural-only phenomenon.

Collaboration of creative professionals with companies (CoCreaCo): antecedent conditions for collaboration in crossovers

PurposeCollaboration between creative professionals (artists and designers) and companies has become more prominent. In so-called “crossovers,” indicated with the acronym CoCreaCO (collaboration of creative professionals with companies) when they concern specific crossover of creative professionals with companies, societal and organizational challenges such as becoming more innovative are addressed through multidisciplinary collaboration that increasingly embraces and exploits the distinctive way of thinking and working of artists and designers. Over the past years, several scholars focused their research on the effect of artistic interventions or arts-based initiatives (ABIs) and design thinking in organizations. Hardly any research has been done on the conditions (organizational and individual factors) that are conducive to ABIs in organizations, such as trust and common ground. The central question for this study is which conditions foster successful collaboration between creative professionals and organizations in crossovers. For this study, the conditions for collaboration between creative professionals and four Dutch organizations were studied by interviewing ten creative professionals, project managers and employees who worked together, following which a survey of 60 questions was filled in by 41 Dutch respondents. This study shows that despite the differences between the disciplines of creative professionals and employees for this type of crossover, both disciplines requested quite similar conditions for collaboration. Both creative professionals and employees should realize and encourage trust and common ground by focusing on an open process and outcome, a shared creative process started with a shared problem. Experience with this type of collaboration, art disciplines, the role and qualities of the artist (individual factors) as well as the organization's sector seem to influence neither expectations of collaboration nor the intention to engage in this type of cooperation in the future.Design/methodology/approachBoth ten employees (project managers) and creative professional(s) with whom the organization cooperated were interviewed (four case studies, semistructured interviews). Thereafter, 41 respondents have been filled in a survey.FindingsSuccessful cooperation can be explained by six concepts of determinants, which are briefing, qualities of creative professionals, organizational qualities, organization factors and common ground. More particular, creative professionals' independency and their ability to render observations and to reflect of these and organization's role by informing employees and organizing a clear work process need to be addressed before or during collaboration.Originality/valuepast years, many scholars focused their research on the effects of artistic interventions or ABIs and design thinking in organizations. There is hardly any research on the conditions that are conductive to artistic interventions in organizations such as trust and common ground.

The Voices of Berlin: Busking in a ‘Creative’ City

The city of Berlin is often advertised as one of the most prominent creative cities today. In the past two decades, its marketing agencies have constructed a carefully crafted urban image designed to attract the young, mobile and creative workers that move the contemporary economy. To do that, they rely on cultural temporary uses that enable selected urban spaces to have the desired ‘cool’ and authentic ambiance that distinguishes this city from others within the competitive global network. This paper investigates the phenomenon of abundant street performers in the German capital to find out if and how these artists perceive their role and instrumentalisation within these creative policies. The field research carried out through the method of ethnography reveals that their understanding of their art as small resistances in urban space often clashes with their use in broader placemaking schemes that have negative consequences. The article begins with a discussion of creative policies in Berlin from an Urban Planning point of view, highlighting how it encourages the migration of young artists and creative professionals. It then analyses the definitions of busking in the existing literature in the Social Sciences to understand its potential as a builder of sociability. Moreover, it draws on theories that speak of the “looseness” of space and the idea of tactically appropriating a place through art to build an interdisciplinary approach between the different fields. Lastly, it presents the case study, using the performers’ own testimonials to draw conclusions about the temporary uses of urban space within a broader urban context.

How Does Consumer Insight Support The Leap to a Creative Idea?

Account planners identify and articulate a key strategic resource, consumer insight, from which creative ideation is said to leap. Insight gives creative staff a license to develop emotional advertising that connects with consumers. Insight works by priming creative staff toward a human truth that holds an inherent tension that an attribute or benefit of the brand can resolve. Some primes are better than others, however. The best ones have strong insight. For this study, an experiment was performed with 60 working creative professionals who developed creative advertising ideas under three treatment conditions: a strong insight, a weak one, and a no-primed-insight control. Although the knowledge domains creative professionals used in executions appeared similar across the three conditions, providing insight led to more emotional appeals rather than functional ones, especially when primed with a strong insight.

Incoherence/coherence in narratives of illness or trauma: On the necessity of challenging conventional narrative structures

Informed by my own experience of bearing witness to and being made vulnerable by a life-threatening event in a loved one, this essay draws on philosophical, psychological and narratological underpinnings to investigate the gap that exists between conventional narrative structures and the narratives employed by those with lived experience of trauma or critical illness. Overall, I argue that writers and other creative artists have a responsibility to represent trauma or illness in ways that resist the temporal unification, neat closures and trajectories that often present such events as disruptions to be overcome. Following this line of thinking I argue that narrative coherence is not dependent on the cohesion of a whole. Instead it relies on the shared understandings and the process of recognition that forms between the teller and recipient of a story. In other words, coherence is dependent on the recipient’s ability to read structural characteristics such as fragmentation, discontinuity, irresolution and uncertainty not as aberrations to narrative stability, but as potential signifiers of the trauma itself. As such I suggest creative professionals can do more to experiment with the language of trauma. I conclude with a personal reflection that illustrates how knowledge of this language allows for coherence even in the most fraught narratives.

О проявлении творческих способностей сотрудников оперативных подразделений МВД России

The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that in the modern world in response to the invention of new methods of committing crimes, employees of operational units can oppose high professionalism and a flexible mind, the ability to quickly detect and implement new, original ways to solve problems. Arguments are presented in favor of the opinion that operational-search activities are related to creative professions; A detailed interpretation of the concept of “creative abilities” is given taking into account the points of view of broadcasting specialists in this field. The author dispels the stereotype that this type of activity is ossified, noting that in the daily work of the operative there is a place for art that is close to acting, relating to both reincarnation when introduced into criminal circles, and regular communication with citizens, limited by the task and time frame . The article presents the results of the content and psychological analysis of publications from specialized periodicals devoted to the performance of outstanding and famous employees of the past and present, such as “Shield and Sword”, “Petrovka 38” and others. Based on the collected data and taking into account the assumption that all available creative abilities are similar in manifestation regardless of the historical context, a general table of various manifestations of creative abilities in official activities is compiled, detailed interpretations of individual points are given, and the percentage of each them taking into account the time slice chosen by the author. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that creative abilities play a key role in the professional development of each employee of the operational units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and both the success and the duration of the professional activities of the current and future employees of the operational police units directly depend on their continuous improvement.

O direito à identidade dos profissionais LGBT+ e a difícil arte de ser quem se é no ambiente de trabalho

O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar a diversidade como uma vantagem para as empresas, não apenas no sentido de cumprir um dever de responsabilidade social, mas principalmente porque a formação de uma equipe de colaboradores diversificada e talentosa, num ambiente de trabalho desprovido de preconceito e discriminação, certamente irá resultar em resultados satisfatório para o organismo corporativo. Para tanto, a metodologia baseia-se no procedimento bibliográfico, com coleta de dados de várias áreas, tornando a natureza da pesquisa qualitativa. A Declaração Universal dos Direitos do Humanos possui um papel bastante importante neste cenário, no tocante à proteção e salvaguardando o bem-estar dos oprimidos, seja em qual ambiente for. Nesse sentido, cabe as empresas adotarem de políticas de diversidade e inclusão social, para assegurar a eficácia no recrutamento de profissionais mais criativos que se valham de uma forma de trabalho mais diversificada, expandindo conhecimentos, habilidades e compreensão intercultural.

Exploring the Complexity of Location Choices of the Creative Class in Europe: Evidence from the EU Labor Force Survey 1995–2010

This paper proposes a new idea for the current argument over Florida’s cultural policies, as location choices of the creative class is a complex process involving some basic aspects of socio-economic progress. Based on the European Labor Force Survey (EU LFE) dataset, tolerance and openness indicators which represent the quality of a “people climate” are found to be positively correlated with the creative class’s location in large regions and less so in smaller ones, where business climate-related parameters, i.e., the quality of local governments and the location of universities, have stronger positive effects on locational choices of the creative class. Moreover, graduates with non-creative jobs and creative professionals (i.e., workers who provide creative solutions during the work process such as high-tech technicians or legal and healthcare workers) are concerned more about the people climate, while creative workers with a degree and a creative core (e.g., workers who provide original ideas such as scientists, engineers and artists) are more likely to prioritize a business climate. Therefore, we argue that the promotion of a “tolerant” climate, as Florida advocates, is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, policy makers should appropriately relate different preferences of creative workers to their unique strengths. This provides more insights into defining the concept of creativity beyond prioritized individual success, as well as understanding the preferences and actual needs of highly skilled workers in Europe.

Elites, communities and the limited benefits of mentorship in electronic music

While the emergence of success in creative professions, such as music, has been studied extensively, the link between individual success and collaboration is not yet fully uncovered. Here we aim to fill this gap by analyzing longitudinal data on the co-releasing and mentoring patterns of popular electronic music artists appearing in the annual Top 100 ranking of DJ Magazine. We find that while this ranking list of popularity publishes 100 names, only the top 20 is stable over time, showcasing a lock-in effect on the electronic music elite. Based on the temporal co-release network of top musicians, we extract a diverse community structure characterizing the electronic music industry. These groups of artists are temporally segregated, sequentially formed around leading musicians, and represent changes in musical genres. We show that a major driving force behind the formation of music communities is mentorship: around half of musicians entering the top 100 have been mentored by current leading figures before they entered the list. We also find that mentees are unlikely to break into the top 20, yet have much higher expected best ranks than those who were not mentored. This implies that mentorship helps rising talents, but becoming an all-time star requires more. Our results provide insights into the intertwined roles of success and collaboration in electronic music, highlighting the mechanisms shaping the formation and landscape of artistic elites in electronic music.

Holding onto Your Roots: Tatar-Language Rap in Post-Soviet Kazan

ABSTRACT In this article, we analyze the independent Tatar rap scene in two relevant contexts: the globalization of this musical culture and the post-Soviet nation-building efforts in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russian Federation). Having analyzed 29 in-depth biographical interviews with young rap scene participants and diary entries obtained in the course of a month-long participant observation, we conclude that the Tatar rap scene is a special case in Tatar urban youth culture, shaped by the younger generation of the Tatar-speaking intelligentsia (humanities graduates and creative professionals), and in opposition to both the cultural policy of Russification of the imperial center (i.e., Moscow) and the folklorized version of Soviet Tatar culture.

The Managerialization of the Arts in the Era of Creativity. The Case of an Italian Opera House

This paper investigates how management discourses developed in the arts industry. The theoretical background applied to answer this question, is rooted in the deep discussion on the role of managerial thinking in capitalistic societies which is provided in Boltanski and Chiapello’s “The new spirit of capitalism” (2005; first version in French “Le nouvel esprit du capitalisme”, 1999), and it is enlarged by a discussion on how managerial discourses have affected the creative and the arts sector in more recent times. The theorizing provided in this paper is based on the analysis of the managerialization process of an Italian opera house. The case study is described by reporting both the “official version” and less official voices, putting particular emphasis on the role played by managerial discourses. The results show how the vocabulary of management is used internally to justify the managerialization process, and externally to communicate with potential investors of the private sector. However it is contrasted internally by some “voices out of tune” which see management principles as conflicting with the artistic mission of the opera house, and their application as detrimental for the artistic quality and as source of frustration for artists and creative professionals. After the analysis of the case study, I provide a discussion of what seems to be a managerialization process investing the arts sector, in contrast to the artification of management which is undergoing in the profit-seeking creative sectors. Following Boltansky and Chiapello’s reasoning, I conclude by questioning about the possibility of a revival of the artistic critique in the cultural sector.

Creative entrepreneurship and urban space: Exploring the location preferences of creative professionals in Αthens during the economic recession

Δημιουργική επιχειρηματικότητα και αστικός χώρος: Εξερευνώντας τις προτιμήσεις εγκατάστασης των δημιουργικών επαγγελματιών στην Αθήνα κατά τη διάρκεια της οικονομικής ύφεσηςΟι σχέσεις μεταξύ της δημιουργικότητας, του χώρου και της οικονομικής δραστηριότητας έχει εξεταστεί με πολλούς τρόπους στην ακαδημαϊκή έρευνα. Από τη μια πλευρά, η συσπείρωση επιχειρήσεων σε έναν τόπο έχει βρεθεί ότι προάγει τη δημιουργικότητα στο αστικό περιβάλλον (βλέπε θεωρίες clustering). Από την άλλη πλευρά, τα δημιουργικά άτομα φαίνεται ότι ενθαρρύνουν την οικονομική ανάπτυξη των πόλεων, έλκοντας εργοδότες σε μέρη όπου επιθυμούν να διαμείνουν. Και τρίτον, τα ειδικά χαρακτηριστικά ενός τόπου, ιδιαίτερα των αστικών τόπων, έχουν αποδειχθεί ότι έχουν θετικό αντίκτυπο στην ατομική δημιουργικότητα. Η μελέτη μας προσπαθεί να εμπλουτίσει την παραπάνω σχέση, διερευνώντας τους οικονομικούς και μη οικονομικούς παράγοντες που ωθούν δημιουργικούς εργαζομένους να επιλέξουν το κέντρο της Αθήνας ως τόπος εγκατάστασης των επιχειρήσεών τους και τα άμεσα και έμμεσα οφέλη αυτών των παραγόντων σε σχέση με τη δημιουργική τους εργασία. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο συγχωνεύουμε τις μικρο- και μακρο απόψεις που υπάρχουν για τη σχέση μεταξύ δημιουργικής επιχειρηματικότητας και τόπου σε ένα περιβάλλον που μπορεί να έχει πειραματικό χαρακτήρα, δεδομένου ότι ο αστικός ιστός στην Αθήνα έπρεπε να αναδημιουργηθεί λόγω της οικονομικής κρίσης του 2009 και των επακόλουθων μέτρων λιτότητας.

Самоактуализационный профиль представителей разных профессий

The paper presents the results of a research on similarities and differences between the components of a self-actualization profile for representatives of different types of professions. The study involved respondents from 5 professional groups: helping professions, creative professions, professions in the spheres of business entrepreneurship and information technologies, and military professions (100 people in each sample). The results suggest that flexibility in their behaviour and interaction with others is a significant component of the self-actualization profile for all sample groups. However, other prominent components differ from one group to another. For instance, representatives of helping professions are more communicative; they have a more positive view of human nature and trust in the dominance of merits. Representatives of creative professions are more creative, sensitive, and spontaneous. They are capable of reflecting on their needs and interests, unreserved in their behaviour and open in expressing their feelings; they strive to create and derive pleasure from creative activity. The entrepreneurs involved in the study appear more “internally guided”, they show independence, guided by their own principles and beliefs, and appreciate the value of growth and development. They know their own worth, and they show self-awareness and self-respect. However, being part of the business world, they may have a somewhat negative perception of human nature, and may not believe in kindness or generosity. The respondents representing IT-professions are more inclined to embrace themselves regardless of external evaluation of their merits and demerits, and have a positive view of human nature. The self-actualization profile of the military differs rather significantly from the others. They tend to live for the moment more than the representatives of the other professional groups; they appreciate and respect themselves, accept themselves for what they are with all their strengths and weaknesses, and are also more inclined to accept irritation, anger, and aggression as natural manifestations of human nature. In addition, they seek to learn and to understand the world around them more than the others. At the same time, they are less communicative and show lower degrees of sensitivity and spontaneity in manifesting their feelings and desires.

Впровадження інноваційних технологій навчання в освітній процес підготовки майбутніх вчителів географії

Aim of the research: substantiation of features of introduction of innovative teaching technologies in the educational process of training of future geography teachers. Research methods. To achieve this goal, the following methods were used: theoretical, which made it possible to find out the state of the research problem; methodological, on the basis of synthesis, analysis, systematization and generalization of the studied sources for realization of introduction of innovative teaching technologies into educational process of training of future geography teachers. Results. The article is considered with the necessity of introducing innovative teaching technologies in the educational process of training future geography teachers on the example of teaching the discipline "Concepts of modern nature science". There were defined conditions under which effective introduction of innovative learning technologies into the educational process is possible. The prerequisites and criteria of the teacher's readiness for innovative activity are distinguished. The types of innovative technologies and possibilities of their application in the educational process of training of future geography teachers are analyzed, practical tasks for realization of specific innovative technologies of teaching are offered. The research concluded that the introduction of innovative learning technologies involves updating the content and forms of learning, connection theory with practice, combining traditional methods of learning with innovative, which will prepare competent and creative professionals who can actively act in accordance with requirements of the social and professional environment. Innovations in the system of training graduates of pedagogical specialties include not only the introduction of modern innovative technologies of teaching in the educational process of pedagogical universities, but also taking into account changes in the system of general secondary education.

Антонимия как отражение биполярного мира Германа Мелвилла в переводе И. Бернштейн романа «Моби Дик»

Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick addresses the eternal problem of life and death, the human personality and its place in the universe. It is an exceptional piece of work about the tragic tension of the worldview, the sharpness of the material presented in it, and the most important role in this is played by antonymous linguistic means. The authors of the article present a comparative analysis of the linguistic means of the original text of the parable novel and its Russian translation with respect to the use of antonyms. The material of the article makes it possible to realize the role of the translator I. Bernstein in transposition of verbalizers of art values of the American literature on Russian soil, reveals its creative individuality and professionalism. Understanding the functional and stylistic importance of the antonymous component of the novel, in his translation I. Bernstein retains the most important in terms of content and style of this work a pair of lexical antonyms of the contradicting type: “Light — Darkness”, “Black — White”, “Tall — Short”, “God — Devil”, “Life — Death”. Contextual antonyms, word-forming antonymous pairs, metaphors based on antonyms available in the original text also have equivalents in the Russian version. Comparative analysis of the original text and the Russian version clearly shows that I. Bernstein’s translation is equivalent and adequate. The stylistic peculiarities of G. Melville’s novel “Moby Dick”, connected with the use of antonymic possibilities and conditioned by contradictory philosophical problems solved in the work, are preserved in the Russian version of the novel.