The NYC Innovation Economy Summit- Why Creativity Doesn't Discriminate

By Gaby Sosa

Many many years ago, I read an argument describing why even non-creative people are creative. The argument explained how in the innate instinct to cultivate our lives through our choices and values, creativity grows. Most notable, its strongest points underscored relativism.

Relative to a room of writers and musicians, consultants and financial analysts remain equally as creative. Immediately I thought of the dialogue between Rick Rubin and Questlove’s books — The Creative Act and Creative Quest — respectively. Rubin outlines how our very existence and way of being — the clothes we wear, the way we sit, the route we take to work — choices make us creative. Alternatively, Questlove illustrates how artists yearn to express their creativity through a means — music, film, visual art etc. The medium serves as a unique, familiar, and unorthodox means of communication that only a handful of people can spend years refining and even a smaller number manage to make a living off of.

Subsequently, what’s the connection to creativity in a room of financial professionals, stakeholders, industry leaders, founders and entrepreneurs? What binds together a group into a room to discuss the risks and opportunities of creativity? Something intangible and undiagnosable in a space where strategy and thinking is rewarded more than feeling and instinct? Innovation.

This year, I had the opportunity to attend the NYC Innovation Economy Summit. The panel consisted of strong and diligent leaders spearheading innovation in the digital age of AI. Whereas many, many critics speculate and flag the the risks with the rise of AI, these founders highlight how harnessing AI as a means strengthened their creativity rather than hindered or threatened their ideas. From dating to film production, these leaders showcased their products, speaking from their positive experiences.

What interested me most about the summit was not the radical degree of acceptance to the new technology but rather the level of excitement and inspiration from AI. Creativity doesn’t discriminate industries but inspiration? Inspiration breeds the future. Perhaps, innovation in the age of AI is something both Rick Rubin and Questlove could agree on for both artists and people alike.