There’s a fair chance we haven’t met yet properly. So hello 👋 & welcome to Futureative and the community we’re excited build here on our Substack, Front Row.
I’m sending this out because I now have a bunch of people subscribed to this and I wasn’t expecting that to happen so soon. Thank You! I’m quietly thrilled and blown away and so excited.
But also feel almost underprepared for the response so far! Humbled is a better word.
Substack was not originally part of our launch plan for Futureative, but I can see now it’s the perfect place for us. And I’m so thrilled to be meeting so many amazing creative people here.
I have been so blown away at the sheer variety of creative souls here. The kindness. The support. The cheering each other on. Actually checking out each others work.
This first (or technically second) article is a little hello (from Down Under), a bit about why Front Row & Futureative exist, and 1 idea that I can’t stop thinking about right now.
So without further ado, welcome to Front Row by Futureative. You’ve made the day of two independent creatives in Melbourne (Aus) who are pouring their heart, souls & creativity into a project to support independent creatives everywhere.
What you’ll find as you read along:
The two big shifts in the world that are converging to make this “creativity’s moment”
The economic side that creatives have been living with for too long
Why hard won creative skills are about to become the most valuable thing
What Front Row is and why we’re building it (alongside everything else)
So much in the world is converging
Creativity is about to finally have its moment. It sounds weird because creative people have been at this for a long time. It’s not like we just recently discovered that everybody really just wants to make things they want to make and spend more time creating. It’s such a fascinating inflection point in the world right now.
Two things are converging. One, we are at the beginning of staring down a path where it could, in the future, be possible for a lot of the things that society needs to be run by machines.
And at the same time, we have enough tools and know-how to potentially create more viable career paths for more creative people.
Over time we were slowly forgetting that the best things in the world are actually things that are just made by another person with care and love. Some of those things are products that we use on a daily basis, sure. But a lot of those things don’t have a utility. They have a different purpose. They help us connect with each other, ourselves and see the world differently.
Of course I’m talking about art, culture and creativity.
There are tons of studies that point to the health, economic, and social benefits of creativity. And in the world we have right now, we need more art and we need more creatives.
But that’s not the only reason I think creativity is going to have its moment.
Always on the front row of the firing line
A bunch of really wealthy, powerful people have decided that the best way to move society forward is to make it really easy to improve productivity by using machines to recreate everything that humans make. So of course creative work, just like it usually is, is on the front row of the firing line.
There have been moments where I’ve been genuinely scared for the future of creativity and creative people because of this moment in history.
But as every day passes, the response I’m seeing from the creative community, from independent creatives especially, is so positive. And also from people who consume & cherish creative work. I think over the last ten years we’ve actually slowly forgotten how to value creativity.
As an artist myself (I was a musician before anything else) I had assumed that as technology allowed for better digital platforms, these platforms would create more opportunities for more creatives everywhere.
And while to an extent that’s been true, most of these platforms have failed their core promise to creative people; that they could build an audience and therefore a livelihood.
I think people’s patience is wearing thin. Because the promise only seems to have made rich people richer, famous people more famous and millions of creative people are still left out in the cold.
No, not the case. The economic reality that musicians and every type of artist has experienced has been brutal. Creative people have been locked out of the industry for a good chunk of time and then the industry opened up and the chance of building something viable was still so hard.
And while it might not be viable for literally everyone to just be a creative person full-time. I don’t understand how in 2026 it’s not feasible for significantly more creative people, with hard won creative skills, can’t call themselves a full-time creative.
That’s not quite right; I do understand, and from where I’m standing, it doesn’t have to be this way.
The only irreplaceable thing
Going forward, if AI keeps getting better at manufacturing creative work (which it will), this will only mean that there is more average work in the world. But no matter how good AI gets, I believe the floor will only raise, but the ceiling will only get so far. (Yes this is a tongue in cheek nod to the lemmings on LinkedIn who love this AI phrase - if you know, you know).
All the while just about every job is in for a wild ride. So there is only one thing that is going to allow people to be irreplaceable in my mind. And that is their creativity.
It is not going to be long before everybody wants to be creative first. Maybe that day has already arrived, I’m not sure. But I think increasingly more people are realising that the most valuable thing they spend their time on is to keep progressing their creative skills.
Creativity at bare minimum can give us a sense of purpose, which is more important in challenging times. And then if we can get good enough at something it may even be a thing we can do more of, maybe even get paid in the process. Maybe it can be our livelihood.
I know that’s the dream of so many here. And count me in, on that dream.
And I want to do whatever I can to help it be less dream-like, because a lot is going to have to change in our communities, our societies, the world over.
For example, if more people are going to want to be creative, and if machines can in theory do more of our work for us, then governments around the world will have to make some serious decisions in the next decade.
Around taxation, social welfare and of course arts & culture, to name a few (small) areas.
There is no reason that in this process of upheval, creative people everywhere can’t be pushing all their chips into the table.
Progressing skills, making work, building fanbases (not just ‘audiences’, but real communities).
And there is no reason that more funding and pathways can’t be on the way. Not if people push for it.
Will this happen - that creatives could finally be valued, funded and supported? No idea.
Is it the right move to go all-in on our creative work? No idea either.
But all I know is in the future, all I want is to be a creative person. And to experience other people’s awesome creative ideas and works myself.
It’s all I’ve ever wanted. To be creative and work on interesting creative projects. And to learn more from other creatives and to experience their work; your work.
It’s why Futureative (maybe selfishly) exists. So I can spend more time creating what I want to make, and more time consuming what you make.
And if in that process we’re able to help one extra person become a full-time creative, it’ll all be worth it.
The dreams may be big, but the bar we’re setting, I hope is an easy home run.
Because creativity cannot in my mind be an afterthought, or replaced.
It’s the whole point. And I’m more excited than ever to find ways to see how we can push the creative industries into a better direction. For many more people.
It’s a bold goal and some would say unachievable. And that’s exactly why we’re going to give it a red hot crack.
Front Row is made by, for & with independent creatives. If you would like to help us help more creative people, consider being one of the first to back us.
Let’s build a new Front Row
So, what next? The question creative people so often ask themselves.
Well I hope we can build something here. I want to create a stage and a platform for amazing creative people who can share skills, knowledge & reason alongside their taste, curation & perspective. I want to create moments to connect with each other and opportunities to co-create.
Creativity breeds creativity, so I don’t fully know what the future holds at Futureative. And that is on purpose. For now, I do know that we will be producing three online conferences over the next 12-18 months. All focused on the three most pressing areas the creative industries and creative people face.
I have ideas on what comes after, but as with all of the projects I’ve loved the most, the creative work itself shines a light on the path, more than the artist knowing exactly where we are heading.
But we are pretty sure on this: that creativity is about to have its moment; as something we all can aspire to be and something we can all aspire to cherish.
Because if you keep investing in your hard won creative skills, and I mean hard won because likely devote so much of your life to them, you have the opportunity to build something for yourself that makes you irreplaceable.
It’s not a given, and it’s something we could also easily lose. So more than ever, independent creatives need to come together, work together, learn from each other, but also to find solutions together.
I don’t think we can sit idly by and just assume that everything is going to pan out for creatives. I think we need to organise better. And I’m hoping that maybe we can build a little bit of a movement here to help with that.
If we build something here, maybe we can find more ways to properly fund and support creative people; because the only way forward is going to be to better fund the creative industries and grassroots creative talent.
So Front Row is hopefully like a meeting place, a watercooler of sorts, a place to come together a little more often. We are building for those most passionate about creative careers.
But it’s also a reminder to me each day that creative people are on the front row of having their work replaced.
We all have a choice. I think I know what you’ve chosen, and now you know what I’m choosing.
The only question now is how we’ll choose to get to work.
And I’m excited, at the very least, to devote my 3rd decade in the creative industries to this challenge, and to do what I can to support you.
Not unlike the last couple, really. But hopefully a lot more organised.
Let’s see what we can build, together.
At the end of my articles I plan on leaving a question, or 2, or 3, for further reflection. Usually something I’m thinking about myself. So here’s one for today:
A question to sit with:
If creativity really is about to have its moment, what does that mean for how you’re spending your time right now?
With optimism,
Steve
Front Row is your backstage pass to our essays, workshops, and online summits on navigating the future of creativity. Built by, for & with independent creatives.
We’re also publishing on: Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn | Threads
I love the optimism and positivity in this post without being pollyannaish about the future it’s a real contrast to the doom and gloom I see so often. Look forward to seeing where your project goes.