A message from Founding Principal of Associated Studios Leontine Hass:
I watched a TED Talk last night by Ken Robinson titled: Do schools kill creativity?
A fantastic and funny talk, all about allowing people to be creative in the fullest sense of what that means. It summarises everything I believe about training artists and the entire reason I founded Associated Studios. Too many schools kill true creativity. And yet in my work it is those who challenge, who dare, who have ideas, who feel free to explore them, even at the risk of some humiliation along the way, who will not only have some success, but will enjoy the journey. I love the Arts. We contribute £84.1 Billion per year to the UK economy. Our sector is growing at almost twice the rate of the wider UK economy generating £9.6 million an hour. At school drama, music, art and dance are seen as ‘soft’ subjects. They are not. We cannot just live in our brain to pursue this career. We have to be vulnerable and open and courageous mentally, emotionally and physically. Creative as artists and as businessmen and women.
All of you who are in this business, we need to support each other, reach out, create, help each other, work on our skills, stretch ourselves every day, practice, work, unite to harness our strengths, forgive each other, respect each other and fiercely get on with the job. Make amazing things happen. You are already doing it.
Here is an article published in January 2016 on the Gov.UK website:
New figures published today reveal that the UK’s Creative Industries are now worth £84.1 billion per year to the UK economy.
UK’s Creative Industries grew by 8.9 per cent in 2014 – almost double UK economy as a whole
UK’s Creative Industries generate nearly £9.6million per hour
2016 set to be another blockbuster year for UK’s music, film, video games, TV and publishing sectors
The UK’s creative industries are now worth a record £84.1 billion to the UK economy, figures published today reveal.
British films, music, video games, crafts and publishing are taking a lead role in driving the UK’s economic recovery, according to the latest Government statistics.
The figures show the sector growing at almost twice the rate of the wider UK economy – generating £9.6million per hour.
And this success is set to last, with a strong line-up of British talent and creativity in 2016 promising yet another blockbuster year ahead.
Minister for Culture Ed Vaizey said:
“The creative industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories, with British musicians, artists, fashion brands and films immediately recognisable in nations across the globe. Growing at almost twice the rate of the wider economy and worth a staggering £84 billion a year, our Creative Industries are well and truly thriving and we are determined to ensure its continued growth and success.”
Government continues to create the right environment for creative industries to thrive, through tax reliefs, inward investment, and safeguarding music and cultural education programmes.
2016 is shaping up to be another great year right across the UK’s most dynamic sector; whether it be the next instalment of Poldark; the new album from Radiohead; the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG; or the release of Lego Marvel’s Avengers.
