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Creativity at Work: Who Cares? Towards an Ethics of Creativity as a Structured Practice of Care

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The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity at Work

Abstract

“Creativity at work” signifies a complex and contested site of research. On the one hand, it is where we might locate the extraordinary capacity of human beings to create objects, events, and experiences that afford entertainment, delight, pleasure, insight, meaning, and solace. On the other hand, it is where we witness the capitalist mode of production and the broader ideology of neoliberalism perpetuating inequalities, precariousness, bias, and forms of “un-freedom” that constrain rather than enable our creativity. This capstone chapter explores further the ethical nature of this fascinating context of transformative human activity. First, the chapter introduces a distinctive new theory of creativity—as a structured practice of care. Then, it reviews research “evidence” from across the Handbook (and elsewhere) to critically assess ways in which this novel theoretical perspective is born out by practice. Finally, the chapter offers a forward-looking discussion of the relationship between “creativity” and “innovation”, and two overarching recommendations for “creativity at work”.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This is not to suggest that “knowing” the rules and (paradoxically) being understood in terms of them is not very important too.

  2. 2.

    It is fascinating in this context to note Foucault’s (2008) interest in the “care of the self”, too.

  3. 3.

    The term détournement refers to a technique developed in the 1950s by the Letterist International, and later adapted by the Situationists who used it as a method of propaganda. It is a method for turning expressions of the capitalist system against itself.

  4. 4.

    Original “man” and “men” revised for inclusivity.

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Acknowledgements

I am hugely indebted to my fellow contributors to this Handbook, whose ideas are discussed in the chapter. In commenting on their insights, I by no means wish to imply that these authors share my views, but then again, I hope they do.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Culture, Media & Creative Industries (CMCI), King’s College London, London, UK

    Nick Wilson

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  1. Nick Wilson
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Correspondence to Nick Wilson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom

    Lee Martin

  2. Department of Culture, Media & Creative Industries (CMCI), King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Nick Wilson

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Wilson, N. (2018). Creativity at Work: Who Cares? Towards an Ethics of Creativity as a Structured Practice of Care. In: Martin, L., Wilson, N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity at Work. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77350-6_30

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