A brave new economy of turning passion to profit

I was just talking with Nathan about the face of the new economy, shifting from what it was before the market crash of 2008, a preponderance of white collar workers and service people, to a burgeoning population of creative individuals, working as self-employed independent contractors, creating their own opportunities, products, and ideas. This trend has been building for some time now.

Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, it was common for there to be just a handful of “artists” in every class.  Today I am impressed by the art being produced at the elementary, middle and high school levels by many children. It appears that marketing-driven TV is no longer the dominant teacher.  Raised under the influence of instructional videos on YouTube, Lynda.com, the incredible Khan Academy–whether in high-tech classrooms, being home-schooled, or a combination–more and more kids today are excelling academically and artistically in ways that are light years beyond where GenX, Baby Boomers and the Great Generation were at the same age. Young artists are producing breathtaking work whether in the fine arts, music, or on stage. Millennials, as their generation are called, are less interested in accumulating wealth for the sake of wealth, and more interested in wealth for the sake of helping the planet, contributing to the health of others, raising happy children, and improving the quality of life in sustainable ways that don’t exploit people, animals or the environment.

As an artist, writer, optimist and a visionary myself,  I like this development a lot!

 

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