Against Creativity summary
Book Summary & Synopsis
What's it about?
This book argues that the modern emphasis on creativity serves capitalism's agenda, reducing it to an economic tool. It explores how creativity is mobilized to often oppressive ends in workplaces, weaponized for austerity in government policy, and used by big tech to monetize daily life. The book also suggests reclaiming creativity as a collective, revolutionary force that values human experience over profit.
Who is it for?
- Individuals questioning the true nature of creativity in contemporary society.
- Those interested in the intersection of capitalism, labor, and urban policy.
- Anyone seeking to understand how creativity can be reclaimed for social good.
Meet the author
Oli Mould is the author of this book, which offers a counterintuitive yet coherent thesis on how creativity has become a cornerstone virtue of capitalism, often mobilized to oppressive ends.
From the Introduction & First Chapter
Introduction
Against Creativity by Oli Mold This book reveals how creativity serves capitalism's agenda. What if the call to be creative hides a darker agenda? From towering suite offices to the floors of parliament, this phrase rings out. Against creativity posits that our culture's present preoccupation with creativity may not be as positive as it seems.
It is a counterintuitive thesis. Yet it is surprisingly coherent. This is true when we consider where and why creativity is valued. This book teases out how creativity became one of capitalism's cornerstone virtues.
You will learn how the concept has been mobilized to often oppressive ends. This happens in both government policy and the workplace. After this argument, you will never look at creativity the same way again.
Imagine That You Are Walking the Streets of New York
Imagine That You Are Walking the Streets of New York. You come upon a common sight. A homeless man is asking for change. However, he is asking in an uncommon way.
Instead of holding a simple sign, he performs a song. It is complete with original lyrics. How creative! Or is it?
While the man's performance surely stands out on the sidewalk, he is actually doing what everyone else in the city must do. He is selling his labor to survive. Even as someone clearly let down by the capitalist system, he must still trade his talent for profit. Thus, he is perpetuating that same system.
In the contemporary world, we are all in a similar situation. What we understand as our creativity has been reduced. It is now mere fuel for economic growth. The key message here is, neoliberal capitalism has appropriated the concept of creativity.
Creativity was once seen as a divine gift or a way to express deep feelings. But in recent decades, it has been recast as a personal economic tool. Now everyone is pressured to package their ideas as marketable assets. Just think of the need to build a creative personal brand on social media, or the pressure to sound innovative in job interviews.
This business-minded view of creativity has also shaped government policy. Public institutions like schools and hospitals are pressured to act like agile startups. In the following chapters, we will take a closer look at how creativity operates. It is used as a tool to maintain capitalism.
We will also see how it might be turned back into a force. This force can change the world for the better.
Table of Contents
- 1 Introduction 0:58
- 2 Imagine That You Are Walking the Streets of New York 1:53
- 3 Picture a Creative Workplace 2:44
- 4 Let Us Say You Are Out Clubbing 3:20
- 5 In the Lead up to the Two Thousand Eight Financial Crisis, Bankers Got Incredibly Creative 1:49
- 6 Every Day, Billions of People All Around the Globe Hop Online 1:48
- 7 The Key Message Here Is, the Creative City Movement Actually Creates Communities That Are All Alike 2:36
