Creativity in Production and Work: Experiences from Slovenia

Abstract

(družbenih medijev, TV in časopisja).

Participatory urbanism: creative interventions for sustainable development

“…The article is derived from a research on creativity as an interactive social process that reflects the livelihood strategies of various individuals and communities mostly active in the field of (urban) culture, who challenge the prevailing notions of importance of financial in favour of human (social, cultural, symbolic) capital. In this way, it complements recent research on creativity in Slovenia, which understands it in more economic terms (Bole 2008;Kozina 2016;Uršič 2016;Bole 2017a, 2017b;Kozina 2018; for critical qualitative assessment of creativity's economic dimension see Bajič 2015Bajič , 2017Poljak Istenič 2015Uršič 2017;Vodopivec 2017). During my two and a half year long fieldwork, I followed cultural initiatives in Ljubljana that significantly contribute to the perceived »creativity« of the city, but have not been always recognized as creative (at least not in the sense of the creative economy).…”

“Maribor is the Future”

“…Horizontal governance, even though moderated and thus structured, is open to collaborations and social creativity and, thus, change. (Vodopivec 2017(Vodopivec , 2018. However, the activists' and citizens' ethical commitments, the relationships they have built over the years, the successes they have achieved, and their commitment to the assemblies, districts, and each other keep at least some of them active, making new plans and commitments.…”

“…24 The problem of independent, spontaneously grown spaces cannot be discussed in detail here, but I would like to draw attention to the temporal dimension of demand, the claim to the future of this place based on long-term persistence and preservation. The place was produced over time (Lefebvre 1991: 87), not through capital but through participation, collaboration, social creativity (Vodopivec 2017(Vodopivec , 2018, investments of time, energy, and commitment, with "labor in/ of time" (Bear 2014).…”

Creativity: An Introduction to Popular Concepts, Topics, and Discussions

“…Tako široko zanimanje za ustvarjalnost v znanstvenih disciplinah in raziskovalnih domenah ter v ekonomiji, izobraževanju, kulturi in (drugih) uporabnih vedah je pojem spremenilo v modno besedo, prilepljeno na nepredstavljivo širok zbir predmetov, procesov (ali praks) in akterjev. Po eni strani to lahko navdihne kritično konceptualno raziskavo ustvarjalnosti (Bajič 2017), motivira raziskovalce k preučevanju družbenih učinkov, ki izhajajo iz takšnega razumevanja pojava (Vodopivec 2017), širi razumevanje strogo gospodarskih urbanih vizij z vrednotenjem družbenega in kulturnega kapitala (Uršič 2017), zagovarja potrebo po spodbujanju ustvarjalnosti bodočih zaposlenih (Zupan idr. 2017) ali pa frustrira raziskovalca tega pojava, saj ga ta razsežnost zavira pri ustreznem obvladovanju in razumevanju vsega tega ustvarjalnega »nereda«.…”

“…Such a broad interest in creativity in academic disciplines and research domains, in economic, educational, cultural and welfare policy, and in (other) applied fields has turned creativity into a fashionable buzzword, attached to an unimaginably vast array of objects, processes (or practices), and actors. On the one hand, this can inspire critical conceptual research on creativity (Bajič 2017), motivate researchers to analyze social effects stemming from such understandings (Vodopivec 2017), expand the understanding of pure economic urban visions towards the value of social and cultural capital (Uršič 2017), advocate the need to foster the creativity of future employees (Zupan et al 2017), or frustrate a researcher because it hinders him/her to properly grasp the phenomenon and get around all of this creative "clutter." This article offers insight into my own struggles with creativity, reflected in selected social practices and activities in Ljubljana that I have encountered in the last three years.…”