De Baak - News

Who are we and who do we want to be?

The power of diversity in Amsterdam's creative sector

By Paula Kibbelaar

I recently visited an exhibition about modern architecture in China. The exhibit clearly revealed that China is dealing with diversity at a global level: Chinese architects have a way of subtly combining different styles without compromising their own identity. It dawned on me that China would soon be a world player in the area of architecture, too. This made me think of – in my opinion - what people seem to be searching for today, namely what we identify ourselves with, and what we think is creative. These questions can be answered by any culture or society. Our identity is determined by existing opportunities and those that are created in part by society and in part by the chances we take ourselves. And so we find ourselves facing some important questions: who were we, who are we, and who do we want to be?

World citizenship
The group of cosmopolites is steadily growing. These people seem to feel more attached to cities than they do to a specific country. They are part of New York, London, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Hong Kong or Stockholm. Or they travel to these cities to work there or to work from them. These people are metropolitan and are actually international city-dwellers who have a different perception of nationality, integration, and culture. Many believe that this group or lifestyle will shape the future. One thing is sure: to do business in this day and age, you have to have global outlook: what's going on in the world?

Study
I am studying the diversity in the creative sector in Amsterdam for de Baak. Within this context, I have interviewed people in the advertising, fashion, design, and entertainment sectors, the gaming industry, architecture, film and other media, as well as the performing arts and artists. Creative people have a lot of influence on the image of a city or a country. They determine the attractiveness of a place for businesses to establish themselves. In other words, how divers is the creative sector, and is there room for all sorts of creative people? De Baak hopes that this study will shed light on the power of diversity and the richness of variety.

Diversity generates a lot of money
In the last years, the Dutch government has emphasized the negative side of diversity, naturalization, and integration. This is a problem-oriented behavior and approach. Diversity, however, also brings badly needed enrichment, because diversity, surely in the creative world, generates a lot of money. In fact, it is the friction between cultures that spawns creativity. It is the contributions made by the different kinds of people that boost this sector, which benefits from everybody's different backgrounds. You can see in Amsterdam in particular that society is changing. People from almost every nationality work there. In this respect, Amsterdam has the same global attractiveness as other big cities. And one must remember that Amsterdam wants its diversity to be in the same league as that of other metropolises. The "Iamsterdam" campaign is a good example. The council of Amsterdam, led by the city’s mayor, Job Cohen, wants Amsterdam to regain the attractiveness it once had for foreigners to live and work in the city, and contribute to its economy.

Flexible rules create more business
Brits, Americans, Russians, Czechs, Germans, Surinamese, Italians, South Americans, Asians, Antillians, Moroccans, Turks, Africans and many others who work in Amsterdam all contribute in their own way to the Dutch (creative) economy, although they may not (yet) have the required papers. Some of the people I interviewed thought this was irritating, and many considered it to be an obstacle. They don't feel welcome. The government's integration policy has had a negative impact on foreigners and their desire to establish themselves in Amsterdam as creative entrepreneurs. Our rules are too strict. This is discouraging and some talented people prefer not to come at all. If we want to attract more business in the creative sector, we have to make a few changes.

There's nothing glamorous about it: it's a tough world
I don’t think it’s right to glamorize the creative sector. My study has revealed that ethnical diversity is not evenly represented. The opportunities are not equal and there is a hierarchy between the different groups. Despite the numerous initiatives for foreigners, this group is subject to ghettoization or marginalization, and hence remains on the fringe. In addition, success depends on connections, the prevailing zeitgeist and perception, liquidity, organizational talent, and one’s belief in one’s own potential. In other words, one has to be able to do the impossible. The creative sector is dynamic, but you have to have skills in order to stand your ground. Financiers and entrepreneurs also have a hard time finding each other, and don’t really trust each other. All of these factors impact the sector's growth.

De Baak stimulates innovative and creative entrepreneurship
De Baak is a training organization that is interested in the obstacles hindering innovative and creative entrepreneurship. We organize network meetings that enable companies (including financiers and leaders who are looking for new impulse) and entrepreneurs in the creative sector to get together. The tours through the knowledge economy in Amsterdam and Rotterdam are just a few examples. The conference bus trip on November 17 is also such a meeting. A lot of people don't have the time or the opportunity to meet and discover during these get-togethers just how inspirational meeting people can be. People do bring out the best in each other. We also specialize in coaching issues, give workshops, develop training courses, and organize coaching and mentorships.

My study will be published in March 2007. There will also be a photo exhibition with pieces of text from the people I interviewed at Meet the World at de Baak in Noordwijk on January 12, 2007.

Paula Kibbelaar is researcher and project team-member at de Baak.