by Sarah Pragnell
The unexpected growth in the creative industries has led to a resurgence in investment and exploration. New players have begun to take on the established giants as each battles to claim the next Big Idea or Big Trend in the global domain. Despite its industrial beginnings, China has begun to emerge as one of these new contestants. On a recent trip to Qingdao and Shanghai, I witnessed how new regulatory policies are enabling the establishment of creative clusters: a concept that sees a myriad of creative businesses banding together in a singular location for the benefit of economic stability, inspiration and locational prestige. Yet, the formula remains incomplete and little has been done to explain why some of these creative clusters succeed whilst others fail. Here at Harbinger Consultants, my QUT Mentor – John Armstrong – has agreed to allow me to share my findings in this downloadable reflective diary piece and my portfolio of creative works at www.sarahpragnell.com.au.
Over the past semester, John participated in the QUT Mentoring Program as mentor for Sarah Pragnell, a Creative Industries student.
