Growing the creative economy in your Community

10 Steps Your Community Can Take Towards a More
Creative Economy

  1. Assess the creative economy as it exists in your community today (informally / formally).
  2. From community and business leaders, and members of the creative economy, form a committee to brainstorm ideas for development and implementation.
  3. Assess programs which may already exist locally that can be amplified,
    if currently working well.
  4. Talk to surrounding communities to see if working together regionally might be an effective means of growing your creative economy.
  5. Align with state objectives or programs that might already exist in your area, such as taking advantage of proximity to the Blues Trail, etc.
  6. Work with MDA to perform Asset Mapping in your Community.
  7. Work with MAC to identify and catalog arts assets and programs in place (artists, music culture, literary culture) and determine how your community can fit into the state's overall outreach for that sector.
  8. Look at programs already in place such as Main Street or other programs that help address, in part, creative assets in your community. Build on these programs.
  9. Involve media partners once a plan is in place. How can the media become
    an integral part of the communications element of your community's program?
  10. Involve schools, community colleges and universities.

Growing the Creative Economy in your Community
Mississippi's creative economy employs around 63,500 people in job sectors ranging from design to culinary arts to museums and heritage.

Taking advantage of your town's cultural and creative resources can both stimulate your economy and lay the foundation for future growth and stability.