During a recent morning commute, a radio feature informed me that Cincinnati, of all places, is one of the Top 10 Most Creative Cities in the America, an honor bestowed on us by the Movoto Blog – of which I had not been aware, heretofore.
[tc note: Before I go any further, this in no way endorses Movoto or its blog. And I must say that I’m no fan of Top 10 lists in general. An effective way of coaxing people to read random drivel? Yes. A contributor of the dumbing down of America? Absolutely.]
On that list, Cincinnati was ranked as the eighth most creative city in our fair land. Now, Movoto isn’t exactly the go-to source for in-depth quantitative and qualitative research, but let’s put that aside for the moment. You can check out the link to learn more about how this organization assessed cities and, ultimately, came up with their results.
What this Top 10 list did was startling to me. It actually made me stop, think and look around. As someone who likes to consider himself part of the creative community, I know more than a few musicians, artists, photographers, videographers, editors, animators, set designers, writers and poets from around these parts. The level of local talent and creativity here is staggering. I just assumed nobody outside the community was paying attention.
So...is Cincinnati really a bastion of creativity? Hell yes, it is!
But to truly grasp our creativity, it’s important to shed the mind-numbing 9-5 routine of life. Put down the phone, turn off Netflix, quit working so damned much! There’s fodder for your creative soul within a few miles of where you live, and I plan on offering up samples of our city’s bounty in future Takes.
For now, I offer a few suggestions for your consideration as you explore the creative environment we call Cincinnati. And by all means, let me know about your favorites. I’ll add them to my list!
tc
