Getting the Big Picture

The secret of success is working alone and in secret. When you finally come out of the woodwork, you can announce something that blows your competition out of the water. There are just two problems with this: it only benefits the individual or corporation that comes up with the idea, and we’re well past the 80s.

In places like Silicon Valley, or industries like coffee today, where people constantly swap ideas and collaborate, there are more innovations that reach a bigger number of people, who ask for more of the same and of better.

What’s the point of the cultural and creative industries in Brunei?

A big believer in this way of succeeding is Professor Lopes of UBD. Since Aug 2016, he’s been researching into the cultural and creative industries (CCI) in Brunei, teaming up with some Creative Industries and Cultural studies students and a band of consultants. He wants you to come along for the ride, too.
[related] The project asks, ‘What’s the point of the cultural and creative industries in Brunei?’ In getting to the bottom of that, a lot will be revealed. If we know what the strengths of the industries are, and where they need help, we can do something about it. The other ideal outcome is getting everybody in these industries to meet, be merry and make things together. The more that happens, the faster the industries can develop!
For Professor Lopes, cultural and creative offerings add to our quality of life.
“It’s not life support like the hospital,” he said, “but it is in its way. We need healthcare and infrastructures, of course, but more than anything else, we need to socialise. When we consume culture, we usually do it with someone else. We like the artist or the movie and we want to show others how we appreciate that.”

Here’s the down low on the Research project:

STAGE 1

Done! A general survey of who’s who based on info available through social media networks, newspapers, and the like. They’ve come up with a working classification of the CCI clusters in Brunei.

STAGE 2

This is where you come in. Starting now, all creatives can register online, for free on a platform that is created between Progresif and UBD. Are you a freelancer? Work for a cultural/creative corporation? Or you know someone who is making a living either full or part time from some form of craft? The platform will evolve to help creatives become more visible and it might even turn out to be something of a business matchmaking avenue. Looking for a videographer, illustrator or bespoke scarf maker? Simply search and click.

STAGE 3

By mid-2017, time to make sense of the data and compile the results in a report, which will be shared (woohoo!) and discussed with those who create, the policies and decision makers, and the creative community in a forum to look at putting plans into action.
Are the Cultural and Creative Industries worth developing? What is their great output? Around the world, we talk a lot about the economic impact of CCIs but, there’s also a very important sociological impact.
“[What makes a thing art] is the concept that you think about once you’re exposed to it. It’s so dynamic, it can offer something to everyone [socially, intellectually, and emotionally]. That makes you a human being. That’s why everyone should be concerned about culture – to become better people.”