The appeal of a career in the culture and creative industries is great. Freedom, prestige and coolness are associated with such a life path. But unfortunately, these attributes far too often come at the price of precariousness. According to the Cologne Office for Cultural Industries Research, 27 percent of creative professionals working full-time earn less than 1,100 euros net per month, which is equivalent to living below the poverty line. In addition, there is the comparatively large number of self-employed workers in the culture and creative industries, which, according to the monitoring report “Cultural and Creative Industries 2020”, is over 30 percent and of which over half earn less than 1,400 euros gross. Those who choose such a path need courage, have to keep their heads above water with other jobs, and motivate themselves through the lean times to eventually become one of the higher earners after all.
Of course, these precarious creative workers are also contrasted by the well-heeled. 24 percent of full-time employees earn more than 2,000 euros net, according to the Cologne Office for Cultural Industries Research. The income range in the creative industries is therefore much higher than in other occupational groups, which at least feeds the dream of success. After all, it is precisely this romantic Bob Dylan story on a smaller scale that probably motivates many creative workers, at least unconsciously, and drives them to peak performance: Dylan went to New York at the time as a teenager without money or parental support and lived there in precarious circumstances. But he stuck to his passion and ended up becoming a global star.
PASSION BELOW THE POVERTY LINE
Precarity and global success mark the two extremes of the cultural and creative industries, with the likelihood of the former being much higher. “Passion Led Us Here” sounds good, but takes on a less positive meaning when this “Here” is below the poverty line. And such a life of constant financial worry despite hard work immediately sounds a lot less like freedom and prestige. The fear of this keeps many young people from choosing a career in the culture and creative industries. Especially after the Corona crisis, in which many creative and skilled workers left, this is definitely a problem.
Yet the will among young people to work creatively has probably never been higher. At least, that’s the conclusion of a survey conducted by software manufacturer Adobe for its own marketing purposes. A good 2,500 people were surveyed, divided into the groups of students (aged between 18 and 24), creative professionals and people working in other professions. In the student group, more than half (55 percent) of respondents said they aspired to a career in the cultural and creative industries. Film, photography and influencers (strikingly matching Adobe’s product range) were said to be particularly sought after. But it doesn’t seem to be just fear of precariousness that keeps many from actually pursuing this path. Many would not know how to get started because of a lack of access and capable personnel at educational institutions.
Adobe’s survey is being used to promote its own campaign aimed at the education sector. The results should therefore be viewed with some caution, or possibly somewhat embellished. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that 40 percent among the creative professionals surveyed said they had not been satisfied with the learning methods for creative promotion in school. And as many as 82 percent were in favor of an obligation to include creative content in the curriculum. This is because creativity also plays an important role in other professions beyond the arts, which many of the respondents were surprised to learn.
SCHOOL EDUCATES “SECOND-RATE ROBOTS”
Criticism of the school system has long been voiced in this regard, as it severely impaired the creativity of children and young people due to the tight corset of the curriculum and the pressure to perform. And indeed, a first comparative study on social and emotional competencies of 10 to 15 year-olds by the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) confirms this impression. Creativity among older participants was less pronounced than among younger ones, it said. OECD Education Director Andreas Schleicher relates this to schools. In an interview with Deutschlandradio, he said, “That’s where schools take something away from young people that is very important for their development.” He is even more explicit in saying that while math, language and science are important core subjects, it is no longer enough to create “second-class robots.”
In the Adobe survey, 41 percent of the non-creative group said they regretted not pursuing a creative career. But retrospective regret is much easier than making the decision at the moment of its necessity. Those who choose the risky path of a creative worker need either self-confidence and courage or financial security through savings or support from parents. Thus, a career in culture and creative industries also becomes a question of privilege, class, and equal opportunity.
“Don’t wait until times of crisis to become aware of the industry.”
The Deutscher Kulturrat has very clear demands for the new federal government. Especially in labor market and social policy, the framework conditions for artists and solo self-employed workers urgently need to be improved, which has become more urgent due to the Corona crisis. It is particularly important to anchor the cultural and creative industries at the political and administrative level and to provide them with contact persons “who maintain a continuous dialogue and do not only become aware of the industry in times of crisis”.
“We need artists more than ever,” said Olaf Zimmermann, managing director of the German Cultural Council, in a recent interview with the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. The will among young people is there to follow such a path. Starting with the school curriculum, to better access to educational institutions, to the anchoring of culture and creative industries in social and labor market policy, there is still much to be done to pave the way for this so important population group.
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