I saw a podcast on www.ted.com by Sir Ken Robinson “Are Schools Killing our Creativity?” I’d like to ask, “Is the Western World Killing Our Creativity?”

I am in the familiar position of looking at an empty bank account. Is this because I haven’t been ‘working’? Well not traditionally. Do I get paid for most? Nope. Yet I am in a constant state of infusing my life and the world with ‘my crafts’. A friend once said to me “well money is not important to you”. The fact is I LOVE money. I love money like chocolate cake. I don’t have this sense of holding onto it. I enjoy my life; I give to charity, aim to be generous.

I was at the Glasgow Film Theatre recently to discuss the community cinemas initiative. This is a great thing. At one time Glasgow had more theatres per capita then anywhere in Europe; we need more common meeting spaces.

What is fascinating is how the GFT (like many) is being challenged to meet funding requirements.

It is what I term ‘victim based’ funding wherein we (community) must articulate what ‘group’ most needs attention – disabled, single mothers, old folks…? Absurd. If we expect to be ‘One Scotland’ -‘One world’ -we must stop labeling. I believe in specialist organizations, like Independance (dance organization for people with disabilities). However if we are looking to create resources for the WHOLE, then ‘tags’ undermine the inherent holism.

The other element missing is ‘excellence’. We talk about access, linking to celebrity events - what about cultivating genius? If we were to offer violin workshops to the community we would not anticipate them to be virtuosos after. There is benefit to the introduction, but its potential will always be limited.

This aspect of supporting vision is difficult. Our funding agencies should fill this gap. Unfortunately the application process often serves as a barrier. Someone said to me, “They (artists) need to understand that is their job”. Is it? I don’t know. I just want to make the work. It is easier for me to sell things on eBay.

There is an arts hierarchy with performance at the base. This has to do with the inherent commodification of the arts. Also recognizing the craft (everyone can sing, dance, tell stories) is difficult at times. And yet in its purity performance is completely selfless. Because performance can’t be owned, it is passed on via the emotion/memory of the witnesses.

A study done years ago found that actors, nuns and librarians are the least likely to have Alzheimer’s disease. I can believe this. There is a spiritual component to being a performing artist. The best actors have an extraordinary capacity to feel compassion for others, which they channel through themselves into their roles.

I choose ‘creativity’ over ‘business’. And because of that I am not exactly sure how I am going to pay my bills this month. The truth is, if I have to sell my house and live on the street I will. I’ll sing and dance all the way. As I feel it, this is what is needed most in the world.

www.deeming.org