I was interested to see that a growing number of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are starting small businesses or nonprofits, hoping to make a positive social impact in their own communities.
I’m sure much of this increase is due to the current economic situation. But I also like to think we’re starting to see the emergence of Cultural Creatives, as predicted by Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson back in 2000.
Who are the Cultural Creatives?
According to Ray and Anderson, over 25% of the population are Cultural Creatives. For them, things like relationship and community are far more valuable than material success and technological advances. They also value:
- social justice and peace
- community building
- simpler, more frugal living
- authenticity
- personal and spiritual growth
Cultural Creatives are concerned about the health of the planet, as well as the well-being of our future generations. Seeing the world and everything in it as connected and interrelated, they’re well aware that what each of us does has an impact far beyond what we can imagine.
So even though Cultural Creatives prefer living on a smaller scale and creating smaller companies, they know that the work they do on the local level can have a global impact. It’s a good thing that Cultural Creatives don’t belong to any one age group or political party, because it’s going to take all of us working together to address the tremendous challenges we’re facing today.
Ray and Anderson found that Cultural Creatives don’t recognize themselves as a group, so they haven’t yet come together or fully realized the kind of changes they could make in our world.
I wonder what will happen when we do start coming together…
Could you be a Cultural Creative? Here’s a questionnaire to help you find out:
Photo credit: lumaxart / CC license
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