Strict = less creativity ?
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Recently during an interview, the co-founder of Apple, Mr Wozniack, said that to have creativity, there should be an environment which is not too strict, and he mentioned Singapore.
He said Singapore is too straight-laced, and as a result, Singapore lacks creativity, it lacks artists, poets, inventors, etc. But on the other hand, everybody has good jobs and has car.
After I read his comments and think about it, I believe at first glance, his premise seems to be naturally reasonable.
But on further thinking, I believe it is a very superficial assumption.
I believe in Singapore, there exists a company named Creative.
But the reason why Apple became huge and not Creative, is because the talent pool in Singapore is too small, it has nothing to do with strict regulations like people cannot chew gum or cannot spit on the streets. Nothing to do with that.
Apple has much bigger talent pool, much bigger market, and much better synergy in terms rising capital because it has Silicon Valley and venture capitalists.
What can a Singapore-based company do..??
But how can a Singapore-based company compete with a much smaller critical mass and talent pool, much smaller domestic market, and less convinient capital markets..?
The reason has nothing to do with Singapore being too straight-laced, and I am often puzzled whenever foreign observers make this point, because this is not the first time.
Again and again, various commentators say Singapore is too strict and lacks creativity, but I wonder whether it is simply a case of cultural misunderstanding which got over-extrapolated and mis-applied ?
What do you think..?
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well its true that freedom of thoughts widens creativity span....
but there are also some who work under pressure....some geniuses need pressure to create....
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The society can be strict and dull.
That does not mean the individual cannot be creative.
What is he have stated is already shallow by itself.
Just look the photos created from the broken windows of the MRT - the angry bird and the alien stated in the forums.
It is creation by itself, no matter how small it is.
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Excuse me, everybody has good jobs and cars. He is just another one from Ivory Tower. Goodness!
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I believe everything comes back to size.
Small size is good in some ways, but is bad in some ways.
Creative loses to Apple.
Where are the artists, musicians, etc etc...?
Well they exist, but because the size is so small, they cannot become big and famous.
America can have American Idol on TV, and the winner can become famous singer and become rich. But Singapore..? The winner of Singapore Idol cannot have that type of success, and in fact Singapore can only have 2 series of that TV program, and now no more. The TV program is cancelled in Singapore. Meanwhile the American Idol version continues, and it can continue on as long as it wants.
So how can a singer become famous in Singapore ?
Just cannot.
Those who have bigger ambition, they have to shift, like Stefani Sun and so on, it is because Singapore is too small so they have to latch on to bigger cultural hinterland.
What to do ?
But this has nothing to do with a straight-laced environment, I dont think ?
If it is true, is it true Stefanie Sun moved to Taiwan because the environment there is more relaxed and there are more gays and so on ?
Stefanie Sun didnt move to Taiwan because there are more gays in Taiwan and then found success there, but because the market there is bigger. There are more studios, more producers, more listeners/ customers.
So again, I wonder is there actually a merit to this type of observations, Singapore is too straight-laced and inhibit creativity. Actually is it true.? I dont believe so, or maybe I am missing something..?
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Just ask yourself, were Singapore school in future teach in an cafe instead of classroom or will singaporean kiasu parent said that go ahead and study animation, multimedia etc (I think temasek poly previous had an advertisment with a father and mother telling their son which courses to choose in when he is in bathroom and the boy ignored them and close his room with cartoon drawing paste on the door draw by him. You can guess what this message mean.)
And not to forget to mention some swiss "foreign talent" had draw some graffiti drawing in MRT and he was charged with vandalism.And more example like some local company create an "bear" disgused by human in Ulu Pandan Road for public stunt which immediate draw attention from police and criticized by organizations like Wildlife Reserves Singapore for "offence of Public Nuisance" and "went too far".Similarly there is another publicity gimmick of drawiing graffiti on SingPost’s postbox for "advertising" Youth Olympic Games sponsorship by Singpost 's agency and later Singpost had to apologies for it, nobody even praise them for their "creativity". I am sure if you are aware of these "creativity" news you know in the end whether the outcome will led to more positive or negative reaction. -
Moreover, Communism, on the winning side of the war, nonetheless showed that it, like any authoritarian system, failed to produce innovations, flexibility, and freedom; it could make extensive industrial advances only by copying freer peoples, and could not raise its standards of living substantially because it could not combine lack of freedom and force in political life and in the utilization of economic resources with the increased production of food and spiritual or intellectual freedom which were the chief desires of its own peoples.
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Originally posted by Veggie Bao:
I believe everything comes back to size.
What about Hong Kong? Small size but ahead of Singapore in terms of artistic talents.
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Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:
What about Hong Kong? Small size but ahead of Singapore in terms of artistic talents.
Taiwan also has many talents.
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Originally posted by winsomeea:
Taiwan also has many talents.
China has to import talents from HK and Taiwan to run their entertainment shows.
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Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:
China has to import talents from HK and Taiwan to run their entertainment shows.
These from Taiwan and HK are already very popular in their own countries. These make good money in China.
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HongKong......HongKong is 2 times the population of Singapore....besides.....it has the capability to leverage on its cultural hinterland......everything needs cultural hinterland to become the supporting market.
Without supporting market, what can an artist do..?
So the artists that you mentioned, I assume you are pointing to movie actors etc, well it is because they are closer to Chinese heartland, meanwhile Singapore is smaller, farther away, and is more racially diverse which means it is a little bit more shifted sideways and doesnt sit on top of an obvious cultural hinterland which can serve as a supporting market for its artistic industries.
I come back to examples like Stefanie Sun.
Talented Singaporeans like Stefanie Sun who are good artists have to move to overseas, it's because of the disadvantages of Singapore.
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Originally posted by Veggie Bao:
HongKong......HongKong is 2 times the population of Singapore....besides.....it has the capability to leverage on its cultural hinterland......everything needs cultural hinterland to become the supporting market.
Without supporting market, what can an artist do..?
So the artists that you mentioned, I assume you are pointing to movie actors etc, well it is because they are closer to Chinese heartland, meanwhile Singapore is smaller, farther away, and is more racially diverse which means it is a little bit more shifted sideways and doesnt sit on top of an obvious cultural hinterland which can serve as a supporting market for its artistic industries.
I come back to examples like Stefanie Sun.
Talented Singaporeans like Stefanie Sun who are good artists have to move to overseas, it's because of the disadvantages of Singapore.
I don't think HK is 2 times the population of Singapore. Where did you get this info from?
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necessity is the mother of invention
this place dun support inventors, it lacks the element to burgeon them
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How much effort went into naming our new roads for the last 40 years?
Its really a disgrace when the British, could come up with names like Lorong Ah Soo, Citty Road, Bukit Arang Road, Jalan Ayam Bogel, Fajar Road, Bobbie Walk etc. etc and we use numbers like Ave 1, 2 and 3 and Street 12, 23, 33 with the town name.
Our creativity was totally lost when we can't come up with a nick for our MRT.
And a new name for Marina Bay.
Our collective mind have been successfully altered.
What do you thing the new sports hub will be called?
The New Sports Hub? can we think of anything else?
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I agree with Steve. Äs a "creative", I realize now that I'm working that the education system I was brought up in doesn't allow much room for individual expression. Everything was on a basis on what's right and wrong. Even art classes was stogid, if you weren't creating something a teacher expects you're wrong. It doesn't help that Singapore's a small place and we don't get as much life experience as others unless we get out of the country often. We're rich in culture, that I absolutely agree. But it's often buried under the importance of running our country like a well-oiled machine. Not blaming anyone but it's just an observation.
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I stand with Wozniak on this matter.
Veggie Bao, as far as radical innovations are concerned, Creative only has soundcard technology in its bag. Everything else they have done are merely following and imitating other industry players, i.e. their line of mp3 players, speakers and etc.
Regardless, Wozniak was not directing the argument at a firm's creativity, but rather, individual creativity. You have made a huge blunder by lumping the two together. They are both highly disparate and to compare and contrast them would be presumptuous.
When you do look at the issue of Singaporeans being less creative (or less expressive of creativity), it is hard to disagree somewhat. With majority of our population undergoing a regimental rote learning system throughout the bulk of their childhood, it can be argued that our minds are irreversible wired to think within confined parameters. I support this argument with the fact that most of our intelligence coalesces when we are adolescents. Feral childrens are a good case to back this up. If you recall Amala and Kamala, two kids who were raised by wolves in India until they were 8, did not receive any form of human contact or education in their early years, and, as a result, were severly and permanently stunted in their mental development. Kamala was never able to learn more than 50 words in her whole life despite being mentally healthy. Extrapolate this to Singapore, and you can see how important early education shapes the mind.
Secondly, I feel that the ease of accessibility to recreational drugs in the States also have a greater impact on creativity. It's no secret that some of the best songs of The Beatles are written under the influence of LSD. A teen in the State would probably find it easier to buy weed than alcohol, and this, I feel, results in more avenue for them to explore creativity.
I'm too lazy to continue.
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
well its true that freedom of thoughts widens creativity span....
but there are also some who work under pressure....some geniuses need pressure to create....
i beg to different, when you are under pressure, yes, you do create, but you tend to create nonsense. -
Originally posted by winsomeea:
I don't think HK is 2 times the population of Singapore. Where did you get this info from?
I would said that chai pao is quite right, if you take only true blue singaporeans, me not included, you get about 3.5 or even less singaporeans, and HK has alway maintain at 6 million peoples living on valley of surrounding mountain. However, today singapore with influx of Foreigners trash + tourists..5.5million going to 6m -
i am creative. but not too creative.
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Artist, poet, creator and inventor??? come on lah Mr Wor. with a mere 3.5 millions struggle here for $$, where got time to do it, maybe creator yes, our govt is the creator of a system that make wage earners only and from there you struggle your way thru, if you make it big, good, if not, too bad, you got no time to think, because the next bills could be a burden to you
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If you want to earn big and be creative too......be a graphic designer....$2000 starting salary.....then become better $4000
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$4000 is what?
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$4k is enough to buy up cartons of wines to stock up .
