Creatives and Storytellers
Welcome to the April edition of the Alumni eNews focused on creativity and storytelling.
Australia’s Creative Economy, which intersects arts, technology and business generates $112 billion for the economy and employs over 650,000 creatives. This thriving sector incorporates everything from performance and visual arts, literature, screen and fashion to media and advertising, games and interactive design, and architecture and built environment. Most importantly, the creative economy contributes to cultural diversity, education, social inclusion, health and wellbeing and technological advancement.
Almost all creatives are storytellers in their own way. A good storyteller can evoke emotion, stimulate imagination, change perceptions, and connect people to brands, causes, cultures and experiences, as well as to each other. No longer the purview of just the arts and entertainment sector, stories are increasingly used in business to capture hearts and minds of staff, customers, and stakeholders, and they are found in physical, digital, and virtual worlds.
As a games producer my work involves balancing the business of games development with the all-important creative vision, working with talented designers, artists and writers to take our diverse audience on a journey, fully immersing them in the story and experience.
Those of us working in the creative economy also need to champion inclusivity and diversity amongst our teams so we can tell a wider range of stories for more people to relate to and find value and meaning in. It’s something I am very passionate about and is increasingly important to both the creative sector and the institutions educating the next generation of creatives.
QUT has always been a global leader in advancing the creative sector, opening the world’s first Creative Industries faculty in 2001 and offering Australia’s first Bachelor of Creative Industries, alongside its esteemed Bachelor of Fine Arts. With the world-class Creative Industries Precinct teaching and performance spaces at Kelvin Grove Campus, the collaborative, trans-disciplinary community working out of the QUT Design Lab and a Chair in Creative Industries, it's not surprising that QUT can claim such notable creatives as Benjamin Law, Kate Miller-Heidke and Deborah Mailman among its award-winning alumni.
It's never too late to pursue a creative path or passion or incorporate more storytelling and imaginative experiences in your personal and professional life.
We hope you find some inspiration in this collection of alumni stories and resources.
Your guest editor,