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New Deal of the Mind has become The Creative Society
We have an exciting announcement to make! New Deal of the Mind has officially become The Creative Society. Since founder and CEO Martin Bright wrote the article that kick-started our work, the concept of a New Deal of the ... (read more)
New Deal of the Mind has become The Creative Society
Since founder and CEO Martin Bright wrote the article that kick-started our work, the concept of a New Deal of the Mind has provided a mutually rewarding service in which creative organisations and businesses have directly benefitted from the creation of over 1000 sustainable jobs for young people.
As our work has evolved however, we’ve had to evolve with it, and now need a new way to better reflect the positive outcomes that we as New Deal of the Mind have helped to shape.
We are therefore evolving our brand to become known as The Creative Society with a mission to build and support the creative economy.
Look out for changes across our social media sites – coming very soon.
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“It’s built my confidence, and it’s nice to actually have a definite income. It’s good to have that financial security.”
Aniela Murphy
Sales Assistant
Tiffany Tuck Shop -
“This is about giving young people a sense of hope and a sense that the skills that they developed at university will be put to use for the good of society.”
Nigel Carrington
Rector of the University of the Arts -
“My proudest moment was the backstage stuff, working at a hectic concert, making sure everything was running smoothly. Getting through alive!”
Phil Swan
Team Assistant
Music for Youth -
“Young people represent the future of the arts and creative industries, which is why we believe in putting them at the heart of our organisation.”
Jude Kelly
Creative Director of the South Bank Centre -
“Working here gave me a great deal of creative freedom, and allowed me to develop as an artist. No two days were the same.”
David Lewis
Graphic Designer
Flamingo Carnival Arts -
“If the UK is to succeed ten years from now, the generation of people who will be creating the work are coming out of universities now. Without the right support they just won’t be available to us.”
Mark Thompson
Director General of the BBC -
“It’s been a very positive thing for me. The six month placement here has got me so far already.”
Beejal Pandya
Fundraising Assistant
The Royal Court Theatre -
“I do think this is quite a remarkable moment in history. I’m really very, very pleased and proud to be here.”
Lord Puttnam
Film producer
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About Us
The Creative Society is an arts employment charity that helps young people into jobs in the creative and cultural industries.
The Creative Society (formerly New Deal of the Mind) has the support of leading figures in the arts, entrepreneurs, politicians from across the political spectrum and policy makers. All of us recognise the urgency of protecting, nurturing and investing in the arts if we are to prevent a generation of creative talent being lost to the recession.
Half a century later, a similar project called the Enterprise Allowance Scheme was introduced to the UK by Margaret Thatcher. The EAS gave creative and entrepreneurial people the chance to set up their own business with government help. The EAS famously helped figures including Creation Records founder Alan McGee, Superdry’s creator Julian Dunkerton and artists Tracey Emin and Jane and Louise Wilson.1qa
The Creative Society (formerly New Deal of the Mind) has successfully lobbied for the return of the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, and borrows and adapts from both the EAS and WPA to push for government policy that encourages self-employment and freelance opportunities – the lifeblood of the creative industries. We’re working with the Government to help put unemployed people into creative placements in arts and culture and we’re finding spaces across the UK which will become “incubator centres” providing space, support and advice for people setting up on their own.
The Creative Society grew from an article written in the New Statesman in January by Martin Bright, the magazine’s former political editor. Martin suggested that cultural elements of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was introduced by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1930’s Depression, could be adapted for the UK today. Martin’s article struck a chord and he was inundated with offers of support from prominent people in the arts and politicians from all parties.
Within weeks, The Creative Society, then known as New Deal of the Mind, was officially launched at Number 11 Downing St and Jude Kelly had offered us space at London’s Southbank Centre. The WPA created 3,500 branch libraries, 4,400 musical performances every month, a national collection of oral histories which featured the stories of the last living slaves. Artists and writers who benefited from the WPA include Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, Saul Bellow, John Cheever and Ralph Ellison.
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