How Creativity is a Luxury

read time| 5 minutes

who | Thato Kakole

Imagine a world where your freedom to express yourself creatively is determined by your social status and buying power. It's kind of hard to imagine because we consider creativity to be a limitless human quality, or so we think. The creativity gap is the divide between people who have the luxury of time, resources, and support that allows them to get involved in creative pursuits, and those who do not.

Why the Creativity Gap Exists and Why It’s a Problem

Most people have come across Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at some point in their lives. Maslow’s hierarchy suggests that we need to fulfill our more basic needs like food, safety, and security before we can strive to meet our needs for things like esteem and self-actualization. And things like self-actualization are what’s required for creative expression. 

Self-actualization doesn't come easy for many because of systemic and historical barriers. People from marginalized and low-income communities spend their income on immediate needs, such as housing, food, and healthcare. When basic needs aren't met, people find themselves stuck in “survival mode,” where creativity is disregarded in favor of immediate economic stability. Without opportunities for creative expression, marginalized voices are underrepresented in industries like media, technology, and art, and only the voices of the wealthy are heard.

Closing the Gap

We can bridge the gap by investing in creativity as a tool for learning rather than an extracurricular activity. Turnaround Arts is the Kennedy Center’s national creative program which aims to bring arts as a part of learning to low-performing schools. The program has proven that an education inclusive of art boosts students' performance, confidence and provides students with a sense of belonging and creative opportunity.

Creativity doesn't have to be confined to the classroom. Support from parents, family, friends, and members of local communities can also help close the gap by organizing rallies, attending school board meetings, and fundraising to bring back art initiatives that were cut. Arts Ignite (formerly Artists Striving to End Poverty or ASTEP) is a community-led organization that believes all young people have a story and a voice that has to be shared. They aim to give young people the critical skills, independence, and the experience of creative expression.

Investing in creative education and building community involvement through initiatives like Turnaround Arts and Arts Ignite can help close the creativity gap by pushing for policies that prioritize creativity in learning, we can ensure that every student has the opportunity to explore their potential and share their unique stories regardless of their background.