For the past century, creative hubs have encompassed the lives of creatives, but only gained rapid traction globally within the past 10 years. In a society where digitalisation and urbanisation are swiftly expanding, creative individuals require a safe space to further explore their individuality with other like-minded creatives, while sharing their ideas and learning from one another. These creative hubs are a space to nurture aspiring creative ideas to boost the creative economy, generating not only economical, but social and cultural value for communities on a local and global scale.
In 2020, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) underlined that the creative economy contributed to 2% of Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and this value has remained stagnant for the past 5 years, while employing at least one million people. In a global perspective, the creative economy is projected to reach a valuation of $985 billion by 2023, with an expected contribution of 10% to the GDP by then. Therefore it is a pivotal sector in boosting competitiveness, productivity, sustainable growth, employment and exports potential, if nurtured and supported, as stated by UNCTAD’s international trade and commodities director, Pamela Coke-Hamilton.
Now as we recover from the hit of the pandemic, it is critical to ensure inclusivity and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), who have been struck the worst by the pandemic. These enterprises, along with freelancers that boost the creative economy and have been struggling to regain their power within the creative ecosystem. With the current growth and increasing access to open and available resources, it is crucial to ensure a strong recovery that strives for the employment of marginalised groups in rural and urban areas.
What role do creative hubs play:
Globally, these creative hubs serve a variety of purposes for creatives in their space, but ultimately are areas for the incubation of ideas through experimentation, and peer-to-peer transferring of knowledge (British Council Philippines, 2018). Commonly misinterpreted as coworking spaces, the impact creative hubs have on society is often underestimated and their contributions to society as a whole are further dismissed. An oversimplified definition of creative hubs is platform–virtual or physical, dedicated to uniting individuals within the creative and cultural industry. A report published by UNCTAD in 2010 highlights the prospectives embedded within the creative industry to generate careers and income, while advocating for social inclusivity, cultural diversity and human development.
Creative hubs offer micro-businesses a platform to connect with others and gain access to resources that are otherwise harder to obtain. These resources include specific tools, opportunities to collaborate with others and connect with a larger audience. While creative hubs propel transformation and strive for economic growth, their eccentric quality is ingrained in their direction to impact social change. Different from an average organisation, hubs often have a direct or indirect social impact, focusing on the making of creative industries thrive, increasing community engagement or restoring urban neighbourhoods. Apart from economic growth and innovation, it is undeniable that creative hubs are equally significant in stimulating social inclusion.
These creative hubs are steered by hub managers–individuals who are passionate and influential leaders, who foster a safe environment for their communities to further reach their target audiences. Comprising various backgrounds; producers, artists, entrepreneurs, and many more diverse influences, these hub managers provide support for the unification of their communities through learning and sharing experiences together. Assisting these hub managers in acquiring skills such as business and professional development along with leadership skills, would allow them to flourish their community by contributing to inclusivity through the growth and development in cities and communities.
Mereka x British Council in the region believing in the power of creative hubs:
To further boost the uniqueness of these hubs, it is important to allow these creative energies a medium to reach a larger audience. The British Council has been intentionally located in Southeast Asia–where creative hubs are currently booming–to expand larger creative connections and exchanges within the powerful hubs sector in Southeast Asia and the UK.
Championing creative hubs since 2014, the British Council has connected with over 800 global hubs, while featuring hubs as partners, collaborators and researchers within their programing. Together with Me.reka Connect, we believe in the power of creative hubs as a catalyst in the direction of inclusivity and positive impact towards their own communities. The ‘UK-SEA Creative Hubs Connect’, in conjunction with Mereka Connect and Baltic Creative CIC (UK) is a dedicated programme, developed to link these creative hubs together across UK and Southeast Asia on a single platform, therefore, allowing these creative hubs direct access to their network of resources from over 80 hubs in the UK through a single platform.
With our joint forces, we believe the launch of the UK-SEA CHC would provide a large and accessible network for creative hubs all across Southeast Asia and the UK to assemble, thus creating a thriving community built around the support of each other.
