American Collegiate
College, creative development, and the rise of the creator’s economy
Kylan Stephon Hayes @kylanstephon
April 25, 2024 | Photography produced by Verity Art & Design Studio
Colleges have played a pivotal role throughout history in the United States, acting as institutions cultivating critical thinking, technical skills, and well-rounded individuals. However, in 2024, how are they serving our artists?
From a design perspective, college institutions act as third-spaces. They are spaces with institutional functions, ensuring they live up to their intended purposes of cultivating academic growth. They also have fluid social structures and formal organizations allowing the development of communities. The design of these spaces allow both academic achievement and social satisfaction for many. It’s an effective (although expensive) design.
Formally, college can be as rigid or flexible as the student and collegiate infrastructure both support and desire. Many colleges support forms of “build-your-own-degree” programs granting students flexibility over their education. For artists, your major is less important than the technical skills you develop.
The rise of the creator’s economy puts artists in an important position, and it is up to collegiate institutions to support these creators. For artists still in college, the time to develop creatively is more important than ever. We are at a crucial moment in history.
Artists are at the helm of the creator economy.
It’s up to us to use our skills to share lived experiences. Art speaks where words fail. Let’s use it to tell the stories that matter.
Systems of Collegiate Creative Development
Creative development is not a matter of institutional authority. Creative development is a matter of intake, experimentation, and inspiration. College just so happens to have the infrastructure to accomplish this.
The true wealth of college for artists lies within your community. College offers a number of formal and informal organizations with the purpose of community building. Campus clubs offer third-spaces to cultivate like-minded connections. Greek organizations offer hubs for those seeking philanthropic and social networking. The inherent design of college creates spaces for community building, and this community is the source of inspiration and experimentation.
Institutionally speaking, the formal mechanisms of creative instruction are often outdated. Many art programs put more emphasis on creativity than business, an understanding necessary for the working artist to survive. Despite this pitfall, collegiate institutions offer another major factor needed for artistic cultivation: spaces. Spaces to create and experiment are pivotal to artistic development, and an accompanying community provides the inspiration.
Collegiate artists, time is your most important asset.
Seize your moment and make it a memory. Make as much art as possible and let your community serve as an inspiration. The rise of the creator economy is accompanied by a generation prioritizing self-expression. It is your job to find inspiration within your community. It is your responsibility to make art out of the few resources you have. It is up to you to form deeper connections within your social circles. These are your most powerful sources of inspiration.
Your major does not make you an artist. A degree does not determine creative success. Creative success is determined by your ability to tell a story that resonates using the resources you have. You have space, resources, and community, so use them. Let the art do the talking.
A generation of storytellers are here. In the creator economy, individuals are empowered to use their creativity to tell the stories that matter. Everyone can be an artist. It is important to understand that as a community, art serves as a unifier. Art can be used with the direct intention of promoting empathy, understanding, and progressive social change. Art as a tool of advocacy will continue to rise in prominence along with the rapidly evolving creative economy. This is art beyond aesthetics. The American collegiate artists will drive this change.
