We’re in a funk. Our inability to spend within our means coupled with lax regulation of key industries such as finance and housing has brought our country into a difficult economic recession, causing Americans to feel anxious and insecure. We look with disbelief at what’s happened and ask ourselves what we can do to turn things around. I propose that we undertake a national, government-sponsored, Arts integration project to incorporate the arts and creative thinking more deeply into our lives, starting with our children’s education.

 

The result will be a happier, more self-sustaining America and the evolution of a richer form of American innovation.The Arts and creativity serve us very well right now. They are natural outlets to convey how we’re feeling and they can also serve as assets, which, coupled with our pragmatism and focus on hard skills can help us craft this richer form of innovation to make us more competitive globally. This innovation, if cultivated properly, will engender more stories like Apple and Pixar and less stories like General Motors and Chrysler.

 

The timing for this creative evolution is critical as we continue our progression to an economy based on ideas and services while we continue to outsource many of our traditional industries to countries like India and China.If we’re going to get creative about our future, we must begin by abandoning any notion of the Arts as an elitist domain or contrary to our entrepreneurial nature.

 

Our country's foundation and memory is imbued with compelling narratives such as the revolutionary war and the writing of our Constitution, and our creativity is part of what makes us so enterprising and unique. The rugged individualism and pioneering spirit that defined the nascent moments of this country was born of a desire for expansion, both in the physical and the intellectual capacity. In this sense, we would be reawakening an important part of our nation's development, returning to fostering the ideas and ideals that fueled our country during one of its defining and singularly momentous periods of growth: The Industrial Revolution.

 

An intrinsic arts education program could be the spark for a 21st century renaissance with the same far-reaching effects politically, socially, and economically. We should also look at the global power of our own entertainment industry to remember what a profitable and strategic asset creativity can be.

 

But our creativity must go beyond Hollywood and consumption of popular culture; it must become part of a national mind shift across sectors of our society. And this shift towards more creativity needs to begin at the student level, ensuring that we’re preparing our children for the needs of a new and demanding economy based on the generation of innovative ideas.