Nesta’s Creative Enterprise Programme and Creative Hubs Academy has built networks, resources and knowledge necessary for more sustainable economies and resilient livelihoods all over the world. As the pandemic bears down on all of us, I was invited by Nesta to create and host a webinar inviting programme Associates from over 30 countries to share stories of how their creative communities are coping, pivoting, evolving and pioneering our ‘New Better Normal’ – featured here on the Nesta website.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed everything, everywhere: The ways we live, work, socialise, consume, create, care, teach, learn and support one another. With such vast changes, we see lives and livelihoods in difficulty, but we also see many rays of light and inspiring stories to share amongst this community of creative entrepreneurs and social innovators. Associates were asked to contribute as ambassadors and representatives of their city, region or country’s creative economy and network of creatives.

Three stories were selected from a heartening and diverse response to the call for submissions. They were balanced to catalyse discussion in areas ranging from personal reflections on purpose, to the evolution of our practice and creative enterprise, to systemic questions of sustainability, policy, social responsibility and economic resilience. 

My article can be found published here on the Nesta website. My heartfelt thanks to the Nesta CEP / CHA team and our three main contributors to the webinar – Luis David Azaria, Mutsa Kajese and Nora Carillo. Nora’s words sum up our position and optimism:

“Creatives have built-in resilience. We are realising today in the context of the pandemic, there are weaknesses in government and even industries that before were considered as stronger than ours are vulnerable…I believe that strength and resilience will come from inside our business, and we are gathering and getting stronger as a sector. We want to change policy…we are realising our power as a group and we are not letting this go, not now or in the future.”

– Nora Carillo