Ireland is selling itself short by not capitalising on its creative thinkers. So says Fine Gael Galway West senator Fidelma Healy Eames.
She believes culture and the arts should be central to Ireland’s recovery and that creative thinkers should be an essential part of all solution-producing teams.
“What Ireland needs is not more economists but more creative thinkers to contribute to solutions. What we need now are solutions. Creative thinkers by nature think outside the box and see the big picture solution. Economists are largely logical, sequential thinkers and rely on past trends to inform them. A brighter future may not emerge from this type of thinking.
“Look at our record. We are a nation with a proud tradition of creativity and artistic achievement. Galway has been put on the international map by our home-grown, world-renowned artistic talent; just look at the reputation of Druid, Macnas and the Arts Festival. Look at the colour and imagination it has brought to our city over the last 25 years, making Galway the unofficial Irish capital of culture and the arts. This has yielded considerable economic benefit to our region.”
To fight back from the recession we must see possibilities and maximise creative talent and potential, she suggests.
“We must not be over-reliant on old ways of thinking. We need visionaries with the ability to bring a different way of thinking to the table. People who have been successful in creative fields should be integrated into all problem-solving, solution-producing teams as Ireland plots its course towards recovery and figures out where the next boom will be. Fine Gael in Government will recognise and maximise this talent.”
