I was reading CNN article about how a couple of artists bought a super-cheap house in Detroit and started fixing it up. They’re adding all sorts of environmentally friendly features, and now convincing their friends to do the same. And I started thinking about how artists often are leaders of change. You see it happen over and over again in neighborhoods…artists start moving into a somewhat questionable part of town for the cheap prices and interesting architecture, some years later every house is renovated and it’s the “hot” part of town. And then of course the artists can’t afford it anymore, so they move on to a new neighborhood and start all over again.
Which you might say is a bad thing because the prices go up so much that the very people who made a neighborhood desirable can no longer afford to live there. But I actually think that’s not so bad because there are many more neighborhoods who can benfit from their influence. Artists also start fashion trends, were some of the first proponents of environmental causes, flexible work arrangements and a zillion other things.
This truly is the era of the creative class, and I for one am thrilled! We need more creative thinking and outsider perspectives, people willing to take chances on new ideas. And artists will be leading the way. Again.
