Why is creativity in Great Britain now circumscribed to history?

[Ironhouse]

There are no major feats of art, culture or sports to speak of, at home or globally?

It all feels very much dull and stone grey.

The only thing I can think that's come out of this era is? ...

Why's it come to this folks?

I spent last weekend working my way around the local Open Studios. I'll spend this Sunday visiting some more.

Art, sculpture, garden design, jewellery. From members of the RA to young amateur artists. The range of art is astonishing and extremely high.

Creativity is there if you look for it.

But, but, but… what about the Coronation quiche?

I think this is it!! You have a look at the philosophy/religion conversations on here, all you see is “give me evidence” “how can you prove it”

everything is black and white, right and wrong. Imagination is key to everything (inc science) but it’s continually shut down these days (and the most imaginative people drugged up)

Doesn't help the not-consigned-to-history argument by listing people who've died (Westwood, McQueen, Mantel), but otherwise disagree with the OP - there's loads happening in the arts, music, sports to be excited by. Fair to say that public funding cuts haven't helped, but arts funding has always been precarious and creativity has found a way at community and national level. You can't bloody move for music festivals and craft markets and the internet is awash with creative output. Maybe not to the OP's taste, but to think creativity is 'circumscribed' to history just shows it's the nostalgia thing, not the truth.

I do wish people wouldn't start threads like this and then fuck off into the ether.

Just because people have a different perspective of you on religion doesn't mean they have no imagination for fuck's sake.

I won’t claim to know much about the current music scene, but I do agree young people these days (how old does that make me sound 😂), don’t seem to have the fire in their bellies that we had in the 80s. It’s as if they have different values and priorities, not necessarily wrong (trying desperately to be fair here…) but yes different. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be?

Having said that it could be as some pp said, that creativity doesn’t get encouraged or nurtured enough - unless the parents have the money for it?

I don’t think you understand my post.

Aside from all the examples of what is going on, what about the fact that greatness isn't always recognised in the creator's lifetime? There are plenty of inventors and artists who died in poverty, unrecognised etc who are now considered great. So maybe there are people out there creating the famous art, classic literature etc of future generations.

I don’t get the op either. They seem closed off to the creativity that is around every day

Do they not see exhibitions, plays, gigs, also sports is good

Also creativity is very subjective maybe it's just that what you consider great isn't being created or celebrated...

Saying the British music scene is moribund is very wrong. The press might not be reporting it but there is some amazing music happening out there. I went to see Black Country, New Road last night who were better live than hundreds and hundreds of live bands I have seen - and I have seen some greats: Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Beach Boys, Pulp, Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Rolling Stones, Neil Young etc. These young people were so amazingly creative and fresh playing piano, a saxophone, a fiddle, a violin, drums, electric guitar, trumpet tighter than I have ever seen a band play.

There is a massive amount of creativity amongst young people but I don't think people count it as creativity on here - the creativity and time and skill that goes into filming, editing and selecting reels, tiktoks, stories is unbelievable. I actually think it is a brilliant time for young people to be alive - they have access to technology - capcut, discord, garageband, canva, edit suites, digital art programs, 3D printers - they carry a camcorder and camera and audio recorder in their hand every day. I couldn't have dreamed of accessing that stuff in my youth in the 90's. I think a lot of people are missing that the creativity is out there but maybe the self promotion of 'creatives' is what is different? My DS1 and his girlfriend and his mates are musicians, visual artists, dancers, wrietrs, poets and performers but they a creating for creations sake and any 'success' beyond getting them enough cash to eat isn't a major motivator for them. They just like creating. They don't give a stuff about press and promotion.

I understood it perfectly thanks.

I went to see Black Country, New Road last night

Yes they are brilliant, I haven’t seen them but like their music

Loads of great bands coming up, R6 often play them and they end up at Glastonbury

Really good stuff, no need to be overly nostalgic there’s brilliant new music emerging all the time

Bizarre to see the 80s lauded as a golden age for youth culture. When I was a teen then I remember our parents who had been young in the 60s complaining that we didn’t want to change the world like they had, that we were a ‘me me me’ generation.
There seems to be plenty of fire, creativity and passion among the young people I know. I think maybe some older people just don’t see it because it looks a little different from what theirs was like.
I do agree that it is an awful time to be a young person, with rents and student debt as they are and yes, less support for the arts. But it is not a general dearth of creativity.

In that case your answer is totally incongruous

You never know. It may just take off! It's definitely raised my interest in all things quiche lately (maybe not with beans though).

Don't underestimate the influence of the British Baking Show, Gordon Ramsay, etc. Very creative and influential.

Also the explosion of Riverdance, Bagpipes/Edinburgh Royal Tattoo, Red Hot Chili Pipers are all cultural phenoms shared with the world.

Excellent comedy troupes like Little Britain and shows like the IT Crowd and Fleabag. Top top crime and drama and detective series.

The Cure are still touring. Robert Smith is a national treasure.

YABVVU OP.
The very fact that there's no 'defining musician' just proves how much easier it is for talent to flourish.
Take music. Those days you need record companies to get you on the radio etc.
Yes, you still need advertising for massive concerts but there are so many grassroots musicians coming through supported by the people with things like YouTube, Patreon. Surely 'more' niche artistes = more creativity, rather than a few 'popular' ones sucking up all the resources.
There's also more space for diverse performers.
The internet has opened up so many more possibilities for raw talent, unhindered by corporate barricades to distribution channels.

Finally... ROFL at all the people bleating about 'STEM education'. At its highest level science is NOT black and white. Anything but. You create theories, you test them, you fit paradigms yes but it's creative. Most STEM people are also artistic. It's a sign of a complex mind.

It's the 'woke' humanities that seem to be black and white... look at the shouting down of anybody who disagrees on trans issues, trying to 'cancel' people, etc.

Why do you think young people of today are lacking fire in their bellies?

Job prospects are as bleak as they have been for 50 years
The chances of them getting on the housing ladder are receding rapidly, leaving many with a short- to medium-term future of having to live with parents
Public services are creaking
Opportunities to live, learn and work abroad have been massively reduced due to Brexit
Pension ages are increasing
The rise of the EBacc in schools is strangling any creativity out of our students
Our government is slowly removing their rights to protest, whilst constantly pandering to the generations that have assets today's youth may never be able to achieve

Their future is bleaker than any other recent generation

What do they have to feel hopeful about?

You really don't like it when people disagree with you, do you?

I totally agree with science at the highest levels, there’s a lot of creative thinking and use bold imagination. It takes a complex and balanced mind. Love Blake’s quote of “Everything now proved was once imagined”

However, not many people will get to those levels and their experience of STEM subjects is limited to school. Here there is a lot of black and white thinking. There is no creativity. Whereas subjects like English includes creative writing, even in the youngest of pupils, reading stories requires imagination, studying history requires imagination even in its simplest form (and slightly later but still within school critical analysis skills) Even RE requires a lot of imagination.

Maybe it’s the way subjects are taught (and yes even the creative ones are being tarnished with black and white thinking) But certain subjects allow (if correctly taught) much more use of imagination and creativity than science from the start.

There's certainly no shortage of young people going into "the arts" though. Demand for courses in music, drama, media, design, graphics, film and TV.

Gaming is huge. Combination degrees in computing art and design, graphics, are popular. Gaming brings together computing, art, design, film making, music. And yes, it is art.

You may not personally like the music, but Ed Sheeran, Adele, Lewis Capaldi, Stormzy, Harry Styles, Sam Smith, Sam Ryder, Sam Fender, Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, Wet Leg. All very different.

I think you need to get out more. So many gallerys, installations, street art.

There’s so much you can do the best way to go is just buy tickets and pay money for what you want to see grow

Creative people are ready to go, they’ll always appreciate support

For how long have people complained that the younger generation has worse music than they had at the same age? Decades? Centuries?

Live music is dead on its arse because of license restrictions

is it? I’ve seen Raye, Slow Thai and Jesse Ware recently in a small venue and paid £12 a ticket. I’ve been to a big immersive art experience The Burnt City at Woolwich and the new David Hockney at the Lightroom ( which is also immersive). I believe the Lightroom is a new venue. Last weekend I went to Sadlers Wells for the Breakin Convention ( street dance / hip hop) which had workshops for kids and some fabulous U.K. acts appearing. I’ve got tickets for Dopamine Land later this month…. All of these events barring the Burnt city were attended by my DD11. I’m not sure in what way these experiences are considered sub-par other than perhaps they’re not to your taste?