Comments on: Will Creativity and Innovation Be Stifled by the Bailout?

By: Kristy @ Master Your Card

Kristy @ Master Your Card — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:40:28 +0000

I’m sure money is the reason for a lot of inventors and artists alike – everyone should be paid for their services, that’s just the nature of the beast. However, as a screenwriter, I can tell you that it’s not always about the money. I haven’t sold anything yet, though I’ve had some interest in one or two scripts. I keep writing because I like to tell stories. Eventually I’ll sell and make some money, but in my opinion, art is a great way to express yourself. I learn a little more about myself, how far I’m willing to push myself, with each new script I write. So my writing was never initially about the money. But, I did desire to share my work with others, so when I discovered I could do that and make a little cash while I was at it, then I began to realize that money is a factor in everything we do.

But, I disagree with the idea that creativity and innovation are simply a product of economic downtime. History is full of innovative people who came up with things during decent economic times. I think if creativity and innovation are in a decline it is because, as a society, we’ve gotten lazier and entitled, not to mention our insatiable need for instant gratification. Invention and art take time. Nevertheless, people are creative. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

By: Shadox

Shadox — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:30:34 +0000

If anything, this global crisis is going to spark a boom in innovation. Many a successful business has come out of people rethinking their career paths after being laid off, and deciding to go for a business of their own.

In addition, Americans are finally starting to save money – with personal savings rate reaching 5% last month, and climbing. Money saved is money that will be used for investment purposes (whether through bank lending or stock investing), which will help to support all those seek funds to finance their innovation.

Cheer up. Things are quite as bad as people make them out to be. Seriously. This too shall pass.

By: Mr. ToughMoneyLove

Mr. ToughMoneyLove — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:26:27 +0000

Being a patent attorney, I am a frequent visitor to the world of innovation. I can tell you that money drives a lot of it, particularly when you think about the investment that is required to transition from invention to product. Anytime the government interferes in the free market as it is doing now, innovation is stifled.

By: SimplyForties

SimplyForties — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:39:22 +0000

Thanks, Stephanie and Chad, for your comments. I’m expecting a huge influx of creativity and innovation and am looking forward to it!

By: Chad @ Sentient Money

Chad @ Sentient Money — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 02:46:16 +0000

We might see a lack of innovation in banking, due to the bailout (which maybe a good thing), but I doubt we see a lack of it in other industries because of the bailout. Laid off people have plenty of time on their hands to come up with the next big thing. Plus, they are usually very motivated.

By: Stephanie PTY

Stephanie PTY — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:48:16 +0000

You’ll always win me over, mentioning Rochester and George Eastman! ;)

I think we will see a rise in innovation, but not because of the bailout. Tough times bring out innovative people. People will do and try thing that they never would have when things were secure. Not everyone – some people will be too fearful in this time to take any chances. But the real risk-takers will shine for a few years, now.

By: SimplyForties

SimplyForties — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:46:56 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Kosmo. I think you’re right, it’s a perfect time to try something new! Congratulations and good luck with your writing.

By: kosmo @ The Casual Observer

kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:01:47 +0000

I’ve started writing lately, after about a 10 year layoff (in other words, I stopped when I graduated college). Yeah, it would be nice to earn a few bucks in “mad money”, but it also just feels good to write, instead of having all the words jumbled up inside my head. Sometimes the words can get into traffic jams, which can cause migraine headaches with all the honking and yelling. Better to let them spill out onto paper and drive other people crazy.

In today’s world, there has never been a better opportunity for people to reach an audience. Anyone can throw together a website for free and use it to share their creative work. Can you imagine Lazy trying to build up his audience in the 1970s? Much different startup costs.

IT people are forced to be problem solvers. You can’t sweet talk a computer program into fixing itself – you actually need to debug it :)