Freedom Through Expression

There is an independence about being an artist; artisan; crafter; designer; entrepreneur – you make your own living, you make your own decisions, take your risks and some would say, tend to be less bound by many of the social ‘norms’. There’s a Facebook poster that goes around once in a while and it apparently quotes Queen Victoria; it says “Beware of Artists, they mix with all classes of society and are therefore the most dangerous”. There is something about expressing yourself – whether it be visual art, literature, articles like this or poems, song, dance – all of them – that bestows a freedom on the artist. Sometimes that is revered, but sometimes it is also feared by those who don’t have that freedom, or who don’t understand it. Should it be allowed? What is the value or conversely, the danger to society of this artistic freedom…thinking outside ‘the box’, reshaping boundaries and redefining normal?  

Kaftan by SonJ's Wearable Art for CD Cover for Shirley Ann Cyril-Mayers

We can, if we make a diligent effort to collect information, get a statistical value for the Creative Industries or any section there-of; granted, artists are notoriously hard to pin down, don’t always keep records, far less, accurate records and often operate ‘under the radar’ when it comes to taxes. Why is that? Is it that we, the artists don’t want to pay our dues? I know there is reluctance to reveal information for sure, but I think it is more rooted in misunderstanding of ‘what’s in it for me?’ There is a fear that we might appear to be ‘alright’ and no-longer receive assistance perhaps. This begs the question, what is ‘alright’? And for artists/artisans, I get the impression we are expected to be happy being ‘starving artists’ or at least living a meagre life somehow, as though the gratification we get from the ‘freedom’ of our chosen career should compensate us when we can’t pay the rent on time or can’t go to that fete or take a holiday because the income just isn’t there.

So, that tide is changing, there is no doubt about it; when I speak to my peers, they want to be on the books, want to be operating as a ‘real’ business, want to know they can take a couple weeks off for a holiday and things will be fine even without a ‘real job’.  And this is where we ALL need to be – Government, Artist, Consumer – we need to get to grips with the FACT that being an artist IS a ‘real job’!

So, if even just as a ‘real job’ sector, there needs to be appropriate support and planning for the healthy development of the industry; subjects covered in schools, departments properly equipped and supplied with materials for learning; tertiary and certificate learning; facilities for growing and running business; purpose built facilities for training, display, sale, administration, etc – and, accept that the nature of this business is specific and has specific requirements and seek and follow the counsel of experts in the field.

Handmade sandals by Claudius Edgar

But aside from the very real potential to earn significant amounts of local dollars and foreign exchange, provide substantial employment through staffing and creation of new businesses, and improve the diversity of product to support our tourism product and industry, there is another invaluable aspect to the Creative Industries and Arts & Crafts/Creative Goods are no exception: The development of a creative thinking, problem solving, appropriate solution finding, healthily able to express society. This is a reality.

I remember at a Visual Arts Teachers meeting around 2006 or 7, the Ministry official saying that the World Bank had identified the lack of teaching of the arts from Primary School level as the root cause of the problem with the island being able to come up with appropriate solutions for all aspects of life, planning, commerce, engineering etc. Now that just stuck with me, because I think, if we are honest, we can’t deny that we have ‘built’ some pretty inappropriate systems and infrastructures over the years and we seem caught in a repeating cycle of the same mistakes over and over again – another popular Facebook poster comes to mind; Einstein “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.” 

Art and creativity exist not just for their own sakes, but as the foundations for useful thinking, the catalysts for appropriate action, the fashioning of the heart and soul of a Nation, giving depth to life and opportunities for real and rewarding careers to many that suffer from not being able to find a place within the limitations of mainstream business and the halls of the Civil Service.

Department of Creative Industries, you have a tall order to fill and the potential to achieve unprecedented positive change for our island nation.

Looshan Expressions T-shirt and CWAD Crochet Wrap

Join in the discussion – post your thoughts and comments below and come see my other activities at facebook.com/islandeffect and islandeffect.blogspot.com or email me your thoughts at island.effect@yahoo.com

The Creative Industries – Creative Products…an Un-Milked Cash Cow

Printed in the St. Lucia Voice Newspaper, Saturday 1st December: First in a series that I'll be writing in a push to gat development of this sector.

Let me start by saying, I am daily confounded by the lack of attention paid to this sector’s potential for our Nation, even in the recently launched ‘Creative Industries’ Department…where were the creative products?  Our collective heads seem buried deep in our lovely sandy beaches!

I am passionate about this sector:  I live it – as an artisan and as a consultant in this sector. I suffer, along with many others, unnecessarily low income because of the ridiculous challenges that face us here in St. Lucia, NOT because I am happy being a ‘starving artist’- I and pretty much everyone else I know are not happy under-earning.  I persevere because I know very well what the potential is AND I know what’s needed to develop it; I give countless hours of time (as do many others) to voluntarily advising government departments and visiting highly-paid Consultants and to co-ordinating activities…but we seem to have gotten pretty much nowhere over the years; same old, same old place!

Island Effect Beached Treasures Collection - handmade St. Lucian Clay bowl by FinolaPrescott

So in the hope of getting public, private and government support to the level of excitement that it should be at, I am committing some of my time to writing a few articles on this to share a bit about the diversity and importance of this hugely under-recognized under-developed sector– I hope you’ll come back and read more in the coming weeks also.

What is this Sector all about?

The terms ‘handicraft’ and ‘souvenirs’ are the most commonly used words when you hear people talking about our ‘creative products’ here in St. Lucia, but they both give an entirely misleading concept of what ‘creative products’ really are!

Think ‘Fashion’, think ’Décor’, think ‘Designer Lifestyles’, think ‘Gourmet’ think ‘Multi-Million Dollar Industry’ …ok, now you’re more on the right track!

Alcina Nolley's silver Pitons Pendant - www.alcinanolley.com

Ok, I’m suspecting the last one – ‘Multi-Million Dollar Industry’ got your attention the most, and, due respect, that’s the most important one for all the decision makers when it comes to deciding where to put money for development, concessions, education, etc - so let’s take a look at that:

We have a tiny population here in St. Lucia with perhaps 75-100,000 spending individuals…BUT… we have about 250,000 – 350,000 stay-over visitors and another 500,000-700,000 cruise visitors per year… let’s say 1,000,000 persons on average, so, yes, visitor spending is a big area of potential for us, though thinking only of ‘souvenirs’ is super-limited in scope, visitors shop for much more that could be locally made, but for now, let’s just look at $$$$$...consider the following:

What if each visitor to St. Lucia spends just EC$10 on buying a locally produced creative product; that equals, EC$10,000,000 PER YEAR in income that originates outside of St. Lucia and stays largely in St. Lucia and circulates in our economy – EC$10,000,000 in EXPORT SALES.

Now let’s be more realistic

We can easily expect every visitor on average to spend US$10 when they stop on our shores – that is US$10,000,000 or EC$26,700,000 in ‘export sales income’. Getting that figure out of visitors is easy: But I firmly believe we can get 2,3,5 times that from many of our visitors and higher even from a smaller number, so we can look at a sector that brings in US$15 – 25,000,000 easy.

Explain to me again why we are not rushing to develop this sector?

There are many challenges facing this sector – competition from cheap imports being THE most difficult for us right now – and that brings into focus, lack of workable incentives for the sector: the current fiscal incentives arrangements are too cumbersome and costly for the current micro-level at which this sector operates; lack of any facilities suitable (affordable and well-located) for shops that sell Authentic local products and / or work as artisan workshops;  turning a blind eye to the fraudulent practice of passing off imported goods as locally products  - ‘hematite’ necklaces, touted as made from volcanic stones from Soufriere when they’re really iron filings in resin made in China, blatantly obvious ‘Peruvian’ style woven products with St. Lucia and the Pitons nicely embroidered on them, Carvings from Guyana, Paintings from Dominican Republic and Haiti, Sarongs from Indonesia…the list goes on and on.

Despite all these challenges, it is undeniable that this sector has huge potential for income earning – and, there are many things that could be put in place without great investment, cost or expenditure, that would go a good way towards improving the climate for doing business. 

I’ll leave it there for this week, please read again next week and leave your comments, ask questions, get involved!