The Flattening Future of Creativity

Welcome to the collapse of creativity. Every movie is a remake, diluting the originality and diversity of storytelling. Every song sounds the same, erasing the unique voices and styles that once defined music. Every book cover is a duplicate, robbing literature of its visual variety. The tools for creating and sharing creative works are more accessible than ever, but the result is an increasingly homogenous outcome. This collapse of the creativity ecosystem is akin to the collapse of ecosystems in nature, where the loss of defining traits leads to a less vibrant and diverse environment. Across all genres of art and steps in the process, creativity faces a future that is flattening. And these are the trends causing it to happen:

The Collapse of Inputs to Creativity

Apple iPad Pro advertisement, “Crush”

The May 2024 ad for the Apple iPad Pro attempts to convey how the company has squeezed as many creative tools as possible into the device. Instead, it serves as a visual representation of how the broad range of tools and inputs used for creativity have collapsed. While the convenience of creative tools like the iPad raises the floor of creative ability for most people, they have created an environment in which mastery of those tools is often deemed unnecessary. Why study photography for years to learn color correcting and lighting techniques when the iPad can do those things automatically? The trade-off is a loss of quality and lowered standards of what actually makes a good photo. A similar phenomenon happened in music. When singer/songwriter T-Pain embraced autotune as a stylistic choice, he did so to augment an already stellar singing voice and creative lyricism. Then, countless others adopted the tool without the creative chops to make good songs. The embrace of tools like these can cause widespread superficial engagement with creative practices.

The rise of generative artificial intelligence technology, a system that can autonomously produce creative works, has kicked this trend into overdrive. The large language models that power AI tools have been trained on vast amounts of previously published works (or even real human voices), often without permission from the original creators. So, hundreds of years' worth of human creativity can be flattened into bits of text that seem original but are rife with cliches and copywritten material. 

The artistic understanding and technical skills needed to use these tools are also under attack. The prioritization of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education has resulted in less time, funding, and resources for teaching the arts. As arts education gets edged out, there is a noticeable decline in the depth of skills and expertise across creative fields. Thus, young people are less likely to develop the comprehensive understanding and proficiency that previous generations had, leading to a shallow pool of creative talent in the future.

The Collapse of Outputs to Creativity

The most easily observable instance of the flattening of creativity is the content that we listen to, watch, or read. Once upon a time, the rap landscape featured notable geographical differences with unique production, cadences, and even terminology for each region. Those idiosyncrasies have flattened into a more generic sound as artists chase Billboard hits by mimicking the trends that have proven successful before. The rise of private equity firms involved in the music industry has also had a negative effect on the creativity of musicians. By buying the rights to popular music catalogs, these firms have created an environment that heavily relies on remakes of old music to land a hit instead of creating new sounds and ideas. Film and television similarly face a flood of retreads. The "data-driven" decision-making of studio heads causes a narrowed scope of production, where the movies and shows that get made are remakes, sequels, and other "sure things" to ensure adequate financial returns. These trends continue in spite of the fact that 74% of Gen Z and millennial viewers prefer original content over remakes. In years past, the biggest hits were genre-defining (or defying) works that set precedents and creative standards. Now, creators are incentivized to retread familiar ideas that audiences readily recognize. 

But that doesn't have to be the case. Some of the most creative and successful projects of recent years have been unique endeavors. When artists veer into the weird, offbeat, or original, that's when the magic happens. The original script and quirky visuals of Everything All At Once propelled the film to numerous Oscar wins (including best picture), and it is the most successful project from A24 to date. Rapper Andre 3000 re-emerged on the scene with a flute-driven ambient/new-age solo debut called New Blue Sun that couldn't be further from his previous musical output. The result was a chart-topping album that spawned a sold-out tour. Dr. Javoris Hollingsworth combined creative delivery and modern music with educational content for children to develop the Gracie's Corner animated series. The award-winning program has garnered over 2.5 million followers via its YouTube channel. 

As the examples above illustrate, the future of creativity needn’t be all about doom and gloom. The challenges ahead are multifaceted and require a variety of solutions. At the educational level, institutions must reaffirm the importance of creativity and context. Adding Arts and Research to the STEM framework creates a STREAM approach that ensures the arts receive the attention and resources they deserve, fostering a more balanced and comprehensive education. Meanwhile, those focused on creative output could benefit by de-emphasizing reliance on popular samples or sequels and instead embracing the concept of MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable). This approach marries the new and novel (advanced) with familiar frameworks or themes (acceptable) to foster creative exploration. Raymond Loewy popularized this approach during his stellar career designing the Coca Cola bottle and high profile logos like Shell Oil. Apple designers also used this premise to develop the iPod. These are just a few of the many strategies that can be employed to revitalize the creative landscape and ensure a vibrant, diverse future for human expression.

Apple iPod iteration timeline

Finally, we must recognize that not everything is for everybody. Embracing exclusivity in creative practices can lead to more profound, more authentic expressions. By valuing niche markets and unique voices, we can preserve the richness and diversity that define true creativity. The collapse of creativity is a dynamic issue that requires concerted efforts across disciplines and industries to address. By revaluing traditional tools, balancing education, and fostering original output, we can revitalize the creative landscape and ensure a vibrant, diverse future for human expression.