The creative economies are important to state economies. Creative and culture-related industries, also known as “creative industries,” provide direct economic benefits to states and communities. They create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies through tourism and consumer purchases.

These industries provide an array of other benefits, such as infusing other industries with creative insight for their products and services. In addition, because they enhance quality of life, the arts and culture are an important complement to a country’s development, enriching local amenities and attracting young professionals.

Governments are increasingly recognizing the importance of the creative sector to their states’ economy and ability to compete in the global marketplace. A number of factors underscore the connection between economic competitiveness and creativity.

Creative industries are growing in number and playing increasingly prominent economic and social roles; Companies’ decisions about where to locate their businesses often are influenced by factors such as the ready availability of a creative workforce and the quality of life available to employees; creative economy play a major role in community development and redevelopment by creating new jobs as well as fostering an environment and amenities that attract talented young workers; and Tourism centered on arts and culture contribute to state and local economic growth by providing a diversified and sustainable means for creating jobs and attracting revenue.

In today’s economy: Creative and new media industries are growing in number and playing increasingly prominent economic and social roles;  The market value of products is increasingly determined by a product’s uniqueness, performance, and aesthetic appeal, making creativity a critical competitive advantage to a wide array of industries.

The most desirable high-wage jobs require employees with creativity and higher order problem solving and communications skills; and Business location decisions are influenced by factors such as the ready availability of a creative talents and the quality of life available to employees.

After countries cultural assets have been mapped and analyzed, states can use information to devise economic development strategies that harness the economic benefits of the creative industries on a statewide basis. Such strategies not only summarize the value of the arts to a state, but they also identify new opportunities, point to productive initiatives, and reveal potential partners furthering creative-driven economic development in the state. The key elements of a good planning process are leadership and input from stakeholders, agreement on a clear vision, and visible kick-off efforts.

Identifying the right people to lead is critical to the success of planning efforts. A common strategy is to establish a special office charged with advancing the state’s economy through the arts. Just as states have identified specific high-tech, energy, health, or information industries as important to the future economic success, so too have to identify a variety of creative industries that offer significant potential for economic growth.

These include film, design, crafts, music, traditional arts, environmental art, culinary arts, and many others. Once a state has identified pivotal creative industries or economic clusters, it can then adopt different strategies—including incentive policies, development initiatives, training programs, or public-private collaborations—to encourage growth in that industry.

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