Culture is not everything. Think, what do you need to live? If our country went bankrupt, would creative services and cultural products be necessities? What will happen to thousands of companies in the creative sector and cultural organizations if Polish economy slumps?  What will happen to people who created and run these companies and organizations, and to these people’s families? We do not have trade unions or organizations which would help fight for our rights, as is the case with miners or doctors. Probably nobody will care that a festival, exhibition or a concert will not take place, that the protesting workers of the creative sector will not make a webpage or a film, or that they will not publish a music CD.

Think about it! Each year, arts colleges, humanities departments as well as technical departments (e.g. architecture) create several thousands of graduates who appear on the labour market. Only some of them have the opportunity to start a career in the creative sector, i.e. do what they like and what they are good at. Unfortunately, the potential of the remaining graduates will be wasted. This situation is caused by both an ineffective education system which does not teach how to convert knowledge and skills into a product or a service and the authorities who do not create an environment for development of innovation and creativity.
We have been hearing about the meaning of innovation for at least 10 years, but the meaning of creativity has been noticed in our country in the past 5 years. Apart from entries in strategies and development plans on the regional and central level, were any steps taken to actually convert the need into specific actions? It does not seem so. For the last few years the successes of Polish economy in attracting (by means of cheap labour force) large concerns that manufacture washing machines, cookers and computers have been publicized. Unfortunately, nobody thought about the fact that manufacturing halls disappear as fast as they are built and are moved to a place where production is cheaper. No one thought – and if anyone thought, the idea was not brought to life – about creating research and development centres in which “the creative ones” from our country could use their knowledge and skills.

It is obvious that if the entries in strategies and development plans are not related to specific and planned actions then we, people of the creative sector, will always have to rely on our own enterprise and creativity.  We will have to limit our will of acting for the good of Poland and focus on fighting for what is ours. And this fight is often fought against those who live off of our taxes and who do not care about introducing their plans and strategies because they see no point in it.

In today’s reality, in times of economy based on knowledge, we should loudly and clearly stress the position of our sector in Polish economy. The creative sector gives hope for a dynamic development and a civilizational leap. Only thanks to creative and enterprising people our country’s economy has a chance to catch up with highly developed economies and ensure a life with dignity now and on retirement.

The current issue of the magazine, as well as the whole “Purpose” project, was created to make both you – cultural workers and workers of the creative sector – and the decision makers aware of the meaning of our actions for the cause of dynamic development of Polish economy. In this issue of “Purpose” we present the possibilities of the market for development of business enterprises thanks to which people of the creative sector can gain a minimum of independence. If we manage to secure an independent position of the sector in the consciousness of civil servants, politicians and citizens of our country, then in case of its bankruptcy maybe we will not be left on our own…

Maciej Mazerant – publisher of Purpose

Whole issue 60. translated by Rafał Bucki