Quid Pro Quo (Blog # 6)

What is the creative class? According to Richard Florida, who coined the term, the creative class is "a socioeconomic class identifies as a key driving force for economic development of post-industrial cities in the USA" (wikipedia.org). However, I would not define the Creative Class as a class in and of itself and I do not think of it as its own class either. In fact, I believe that this creative class has existed much longer than Richard Florida thinks.

A creative class, at least in the classical since does not exist for its own self-fulfilling purpose. In the industrial age, anyone could afford a nice rug or good fabrics because the amount of labor necessary to create the piece was substantially less than it had been. But, before the consumerist ethic came into play, before things were mass produced so that anyone could partake of a certain good, there were artisans. These people would hand make rugs, pottery, and things of that nature. However, for the most part, those artisans with truly remarkable skill could only market their creations to a particular class: the ruling elite. Though it is not always the case, more often than not, artwork is solicited by the wealthy.

In the case of Machiavelli, his “craft” was unwelcome. In the 1500s Italy was in a continuous state of political upheaval. Though Machiavelli was much more than a diplomat, he did serve the interests of political leaders. When the Medici family came into power, Machiavelli was out of a job. In order to try and get his job back (and consequently his lifestyle) he wrote his most famous book, The Prince, and dedicated it to the leader of the Medici’s. Now, Machiavelli never got his job back, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t work.

Kevin Bowe in Gig is a songwriter. Though he doesn’t get the fame and fortune of being a performing artist, he is the brains behind the operation. After all, what is a musician without his music and lyrics? Bowe seems to genuinely like doing his job. But he is good at what he does and he gets to work with the rich and famous. In that way, he gets to experience the rich and famous lifestyle. “Once I'm finished writing a song...my only input is: please perform it often and loudly and sell many, many copies” (330) Bowe says. In doing that it's almost like he's explicitly stating that he only writes the music to have it played. It isn't about the creativity, it's about the money.

I believe that good artists need people who can spend money on them. They need people who can pay for their supplies or they don't have the means to continue their craft. Most of the modern art that I have seen has not been aesthetically pleasing, but it doesn't have to be. It's not just the artwork that artists are selling. They are selling their names to people who want originality and brand name quality. In return, they form a bridge between classes and get the best of both worlds.