In my previous column I introduced the idea that Creative Populism is not just about each of us becoming our most creatively entrepreneurial selves, but also the source of crucial common ground with productive political impact for a citizenry fiercely divided, and I framed that common ground for you.
I also shared Stories told from that common ground that recruit and motive and energize.
What I offer here is a nascent political policy agenda, an area until now I have thought little about. My guiding creatively entrepreneurial principle, rooted in our common ground, is embracing Create Advantage political perspectives and rejecting anything like a Take Advantage approach to governance. Others’ perspectives will, of course, result in alternative agendas. Our new common ground by its nature is ready for expansion.
As an entrepreneur I was ready to share first thoughts about what a strategy for an opportunity might look like, never considering it the final direction but offering it for discussion, as something to react to, synthesize and transform and replace with something better. These ideas should be seen as an invitation.
+Education is the top priority, where vibrant Common Wealth serves each of us individually. Our nation must invest to develop the most productive sort of human capital: creative human capital. Education reform is required. Today students consume their educations; they must construct their educations, to more effectively learn traditional subject matter but also to develop creative and entrepreneurial skills.
STEM X Creativity and Entrepreneurship must be a major focus. Technical skills — high and low — are badly needed and central to this reform.
There are plenty of great examples of educational strategies developing students’ capacities to be creative, entrepreneurial, and self-directed that also result in improved learning of traditional subjects.
Teachers must be paid well, master teachers must be leveraged, and we want our children and teenagers actively working and playing creatively, regularly and frequently.
Committing public schooling to the goal of developing creatively entrepreneurial qualities in students would itself be a significant accomplishment that impacts all else. Today a teacher must be creative and entrepreneurial to be successful and as a group should be adept at learning how to intentionally bring creative and entrepreneurial energy to the students’ school day.
+That talent is distributed equally in our country but opportunity is not calls for creative and entrepreneurial programs that discover how to close opportunity gaps, starting with education. A political commitment to us becoming our most creatively entrepreneurial selves is demonstrated by supporting public maker spaces and incubators and studios of all types—in schools and libraries—that invite and facilitate creative and entrepreneurial work.
+Tax policy for investments is an important place to apply Create Advantage vs. Take Advantage prejudices. Investments in start-ups and in new technologies and innovations—investments that most often create cascading effects of benefit for many—will be taxed favorably. Speculative investment that simply benefits the individual investor receives less favorable tax treatment; the longer the investment is held the more favorable the tax treatment, generally.
+Immigration policy. Research shows that the more diverse the creative team, the more likely the team will be successful. Diverse creative perspectives lead to original ideas; diverse networks of contacts lead to effective and efficient execution. That creative truth informs an immigration policy that is generously welcoming folks who want to bring their creative human capital to help us build remarkable futures.
Those who are here undocumented when found to be producers and law abiding guests will find us generous in our efforts to help them become citizens. If not, we will send them home.
Being generous doesn’t mean being foolish with immigration policy: citizens must trust that we will identify those who would do us harm and take appropriate measures to keep them out of our country. Borders must be respected and protected, diligently. Here new language allows new approaches, and both can be true.
+Environment. Entrepreneurs and investors developing and commercializing green technologies are key to achieving a Sustainable Abundance and will receive favorable ‘create advantage’ tax breaks. Government support of primary research generating Common Wealth helps create a Sustainable Abundance.
+Health care. The more health in the community the more creative energy there is and the better the community can care for those in need. A high standard of community health is an important Common Wealth—each of us benefits from living in a healthier community. Government investment in primary research is important.
+Penal system. Existing programs bringing entrepreneurship training to inmates resulting in significant improvements in recidivism rates will be studied, tested, and rolled out. This is an example of a steady movement away from a system of punishment that breaks down a human being towards a system that penalizes but also offers opportunities to renew, become a contributor.
+Politics. There is reason to respect institutional knowledge but the political status quo becomes leaden and too often corrupt and so the refresh of new perspectives must be accomplished. Term limits is the current idea that accomplishes that. Are there others?
Lobbying becomes all the more dangerous with term limits; it must be severely restricted.
+The Future. It ends this list but informs all…one of the distinct benefits of this direction is that it is future oriented. That brings important new perspectives on all policy areas and sets the stage to begin considering topics like AI and a Guaranteed Minimum Income, doing it through the creatively entrepreneurial lenses found at our common ground.
Last thoughts about new modes of Governance.
There is a naivete to creatively entrepreneurial governance, a new manner and actions for governing.
Some say times of deep cynicism call for radial naivete.
+Be intentional about the difference between a Take Advantage approach and a Create Advantage approach when considering public investment. An attitude of Creating Advantage prejudices us towards cultivating and nurturing and developing and investing to generate greater and more lasting benefit for more participants. Taking Advantage attitudes lead to extracting and harvesting—taking the best for me and leaving what’s left to you—benefiting fewer.
+Being Generous is Being Generative. They come from the same Latin roots, all about origins and production, and being generous in basic and productive ways is being entrepreneurial. It’s human nature to meet generosity with generosity. Being generous with new or conflicting ideas is highly productive in entrepreneurial work; I don’t have to accept them, but I can learn a lot about my own ideas when I first try to generously appreciate yours. And maybe I will hear something that shows me I’ve been mistaken.
+Humility is vital when facing new challenges; we don’t know the most important things we need to know about how to effectively manage our challenges and develop our opportunities. Acknowledging that we are learning and will sometimes change our minds is powerful.
+Bottoms-Up Self-Organization is the nature of healthy and sustainable growth. There is science behind the natural benefits of what in politics would be called populism. We’ll help it emerge as a creatively entrepreneurial populism.
+The Power of Both. When faced with conflicting ideas, rather than fighting for one idea’s dominance, and rather than compromising which often results in something less than, let’s re-frame the question or strategy so that the two conflicting ideas augment each other and we want to do both.
+Servant Leadership. One who would lead should first serve. The world’s greatest and most beautiful truth.
If this interests you, I give it to you and ask you to help me share it with others.
“Exploring Your Creative Genius” takes an expansive view on what it means to be creative and entrepreneurial in an ongoing conversation led by Carl Nordgren — entrepreneur, novelist, and lifelong student with decades of experience growing his own creative capacity and assisting others to do the same in exciting new ways!
You can also find more ways to explore your creative genius in this column’s companion radio program, broadcasting on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and posted here on Chapelboro!
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