PREFACE

This book is based on the premise that creativity is here to stay. In today’s creative economies, creativity and improvisation are no longer luxuries of the few but have become necessities for all. As such, the creative man or woman has become the ideal as the knowledge society supplements or simply changes the industrial society. This presents a challenge to many countries in Europe characterized by relatively high salaries yet scant natural resources. We cannot compete internationally on the basis of low wages, mass production, or the hope of finding undiscovered natural resources. We need other capabilities.

One possibility for a sustainable future is that we will maintain and develop our long tradition of innovative thinking, rational work organization, and the development of new products. As authors of the present book, we believe that we must retain and enhance our creative and innovative capacity in Europe and in the rest of the world. This requires investment, research, good infrastructure, leadership, and an organization capable of transforming ideas into tangible, saleable products.

Most people, however, regard innovation and creativity as somewhat mysterious, slippery, and rare entities. Nevertheless, we seek with this book to peek inside creativity’s black box. What we suggest is that all of us are, in fact, capable of creativity – if that is what we want. The book includes case studies as well as a number of specific tips and tricks that you can take directly into use as part of a more creative private and working life. What makes this book more than just another volume of “tips and tricks of the trade”, however, is that our cases and examples of creativity are Danish. This, then, is not yet another book teaching you how to become more creative. It is, rather, a collection of inspiring stories drawn from a country known for its creative achievements throughout history, and we believe that people elsewhere in the world can learn from these examples. That is why we are now presenting this collection to an English-speaking audience.

Denmark has never had vast amounts of natural resources and so has always had to rely on its creative capabilities. We have a long tradition of collaboration across national borders, which is a necessity for a small country such as ours. This has offered us a unique capacity for the collaboration that this book argues is vital to creativity. In Denmark, the gap between ruler and citizen has always been a small one. Most municipal authorities today are active on social platforms, on which they provide space for citizens to offer input and criticism. We place a great deal of trust in the sitting government and in the public sector as a whole. Because of high levels of taxation, the differences between social classes are small, which has strengthened our tradition of working together and supporting one another. Expressions of this are found in the flourishing of community organizations and in the country’s exceptionally strong tradition of cooperative movements. Denmark was among the first countries to give women the right to vote, partially in 1909 and fully in 1915. Written pornography was legalized in 1967 and visual pornography in 1969, and in 1989, Denmark became the first country in the world to permit homosexuals to enter into registered partnerships. Besides, Christiania – one of the world’s only free states – is located in Denmark. As will become clear over the course of this book, we argue that this open, cooperative, autonomous, and small power-differential society is reflected in – indeed, permeates – the stories we tell about creativity, both implicitly and explicitly. And we feel it is something that can help inspire the rest of the world. But of course, the book is also filled with good stories that can encourage us to be more creative if we are not already so.

Many individuals played a role in the production of this book. We must first thank Allan Levann, director of the High Performance Institute in Copenhagen, who inspired the concept for this book. One pleasant day in April 2010, Allan invited us to a meeting, which ended with us discussing creativity. We wanted to write a book that made it possible for people to regard themselves as creative in their private and working lives. However, we also wanted to write a book with case studies capable of inspiring everyone to strive just a bit harder. We followed up with countless fascinating interviews and productive writing sessions, the results of which lie before you.

We received no grants from funds or charities for producing this book. We have, however, put our own time, passion, and abilities into the project. We must thus extend our thanks to both Aalborg University in Denmark (where Lene is professor of psychology specializing in creativity) and Thornico A/S (which Christian owns) for providing the job flexibility that made this book possible. This process has represented a meeting of the business and university worlds and a unique collaboration that will, we hope, inspire others.

At its heart, this book is based on a series of interviews with creative Danish individuals and companies, most of which have managed to make an impact internationally. These include:

Claus Meyer, founder of Noma and Peter Kreiner, director of Noma; Bjarke Ingels, owner of the BIG architect’s group in Copenhagen and Manhattan; Søren Rasted, who has managed time and again to write, compose, and produce hit songs for bands such as Aqua; Ingolf Gabold, DR’s (the Danish state broadcaster Danmarks Radio) outgoing head of TV drama responsible for hits such as The Killing and Borgen; Michael Christiansen, chairman of the board at DR and Aarhus University; designers and creative directors at LEGO; Jesper Elg, owner of Galleri V1; Peter Stenbæk, creative director; Kenneth Bager, DJ and the man behind such Danish singers as Aura; Pernille Aalund, director at the Aller media company; Jørgen Leth, multitalented artist and film director; the LETT law firm; Andreas Golder, a visual artist living in Berlin and linked with institutions such as Arken, Galleri Larm, and London’s White Cube; Alexander Kølpin, founder of the summer ballet in Denmark; Ami James; and Klaus Eusebius Jakobsen, headmaster of Herlufsholm.

We also include stories about creative processes from the marketing director, art directors, and designers at hummel as well as from product managers elsewhere in the Thornico A/S Corporation. Christian himself describes the use of creativity as a decisive aspect of promoting growth in his business. Everyone tells his or her story in a different way, yet they all agree that creativity is vital to quality and innovation. None of those who we interviewed were paid for their participation in this project, and all of them generously set aside time to speak with us about managing creative processes and maintaining their own creative energy.

This book has its origins in offices, cafés, and pubs – basically, “on location”, at the sites where creativity plays out in the course of daily private and working life. We are eternally grateful for the time that our interview subjects have granted us, for it is their words that form the heart of this book. All of our interview subjects have had the opportunity to comment on and approve of how we present their narratives, which has had a positive impact on the book as a whole. Any remaining errors are purely our own. Director Lise Nestelsø and editor Erlend Steen Thorvardarson at Gyldendal Business and lately Martin Liu from LID Publishing have been our capable guides along the way. We owe them great thanks for their time and interest in our project. Our families and friends deserve thanks as well for listening patiently to our excited talk about creativity and giving us the time to complete this project. Without their help, this book could never have been written.

However, let’s come back to Aalbæk. What are the secrets behind working with Lars von Trier and winning prizes (Palme d’Or, Silver Bear in Berlin, Golden Globe, Oscar, etc) again and again? In the interviews with us, Aalbæk describes himself as a merchant and the partnership with Lars von Trier as one of finding one’s own strength and letting others do what one cannot. The artist von Trier and the merchant Aalbæk seem to be a perfect match and their successive prizes and awards over the years almost speak for themselves. However, Aalbæk constantly tries to play down his own role, describing himself as a country boy. That might be true in comparison to von Trier, but it’s also somewhat of an understatement. A typical manager in Zentropa is by the way a woman, simply because women work harder, according to Aalbæk.

Overall, Aalbæk constantly refers to letting disruption and chaos work their way into the company. Every Christmas, the employees can win awards if they undress in front of the others at the annual party. Descriptions of these events in the media have caused much distress and it has created a lot of attention around Zentropa, but when Aalbæk himself appears naked, it is solely for the sake of Zentropa. In his own words, he wants to prepare his employees for meeting real artists, as one will when making films in this genre; without directly encountering madness, employees will not be prepared properly. Aalbæk wants to set the emotional tone in the company and be a role model. However, Zentropa is not only madness let loose. Every morning, employees meet for morning hymns and the year is full of rituals. Zentropa works on the edge of the box, clearly pushing limits but also respecting tradition. The company has a style of management that probably can’t be replicated elsewhere, but it has nevertheless found its own way and anarchistic importance, and its success with putting Denmark on the map speaks for itself.