A look at New York City's creative economy

1. NEW YORK CITY:
Scenes, Hipsters, Conviction and Madness
Linette Lim

2. Contents
The Concept 3
A note on Madness 6
Introduction 9
Spaces aka “Scenes” 12
People aka “Hipsters” 20
Passion aka “Conviction” 28
Conclusion 36
Thumbnails 39
Glossary 41
Credits 42
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3. The Concept
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4. “I am not sure that it is possible for anyone brought up in the East to appreciate
entirely what New York – the idea of New York, meant to those of us who came
from the West and the South… To those of us who came from places where no one
had heard of Lester Lanin and Grand Central Station was a Saturday radio program,
where Wall Street, Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue were not places at all but
abstractions (“Money,”, and High Fashion,” and “The Hucksters”), New York was no
mere city. It was instead an infinitely romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of love
and money and power, the shining and perishable dream itself.” – Joan Didion
Drawing inspiration from Joan Didion’s quote, this photo essay is my
exploration of the creative elements (which I term as “Scenes”, “Hipsters” and
“Conviction”) that make New York “no mere city”.
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5. 5
Woman on the street, Seventh Avenue

6. A note on Madness
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7. In addition to the three elements identified, there is one more – the element of
madness. The madness of the New York City’s most creative individuals has
been well documented – artists (Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol), writers (Jack
Kerouac, David Foster Wallace) and musicians (DMX) suffered from manic
depression, otherwise known as bipolar disorder. On the other hand, there is
the collective madness of the city, which stems from the madness of the crowds.
Though an abstract and intangible concept, the fourth element of madness is
represented by the saturated colours of the photographs, achieved by varying
the exposure levels of the camera. This is intended to give off the effect of
someone looking at the world while on an LSD trip.
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk,
mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or
say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight
pop and everybody goes quot;Awww!“” – Jack Kerouac
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8. 8
The madness of the city’s inhabitants – The Naked Cowboy, Times Square

9. Introduction
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10. View of Manhattan from the airport shuttle
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11. Approaching New York City from JFK in an airport shuttle, I was struck by the
iconic skyscrapers of Manhattan, gleaming in the sunlight. This brought to mind
what James Sanders wrote in his book Celluloid Skyline: “In the Wizard of Oz,
Manhattan’s cluster of towers was transmuted – more hauntingly than any literal
rendition – into a gleaming apparition, capturing its emotional power as the destination
of millions who had come a vast distance to fulfill their hopes and dreams.”
Indeed, to many Americans and non-Americans, New York City is not only that
dream city; it is the dream in itself. Why has New York City come to dominate
the psyche of so many? More importantly, how did New York City become a
global powerhouse in the various creative sectors?
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12. Spaces aka “Scenes”
With the indie rock scene as the focal point, I set out to explore East Village and the
Lower East Side, important clusters of the New York indie scene. The spaces in these
clusters provide platforms for artists and audiences to interact, thereby fulfilling both
economic (the buying and selling of music) and social (the exchange of ideas) functions.
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13. White Rabbits performing at the Bowery Ballroom, Grand Street
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14. The Bowery Presents, an indie concert promoter that owns a number of midsize clubs
including the Bowery Ballroom, is described by the New York Times as “influential in
the rock world’s constantly shifting status games.” Today, The Bowery Presents and its
clubs is doing to indie rock what Hilly Kristal and CBGB’s did to punk music in the 70’s.
Spaces like the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge in the Lower East Side are
venues for live music performances. These spaces are valuable to New York City
because they give up-and-coming acts their big break – the White Stripes were
originally propelled to mainstream success by The Bowery Presents – and give them the
c l o ut to play at the even large r L iveNation and A. E. G. L iv e v enues .
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15. The bar at Cake Shop, Ludlow Street
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16. However, not all clubs are owned by concert promoters. The business model varies
from club to club, and some clubs, like Cake Shop in the Lower East Side, take
charge of their own ticketing. Spaces like Cake Shop have creative teams that
determine the acts they want to showcase, thereby acting as curators who develop a
unique flavour (and henceforth, attract a certain type of audience) for their venues.
Cake Shop even has its own in-house indie record label, named Cape Shok.
As the recording music industry struggles to find its feet again, perhaps they can look
to the indie rock scene, which has always been on the forefront of trends, for new
business models. Indie rock musicians were among the first to put their songs on the
net for free legal downloads (in order to reach a greater audience), relying instead
on ticket and merchandise sales from touring the club circuit.
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17. 17
The storefront of Other Music, 15 E 4th Street

18. Spaces for live music are not restricted to clubs alone. Described by New York
Magazine as a “must-see destination for D.J.'s and musicians swapping industry buzz
with the impossibly cool clerks at the counter”, Other Music is a music retail store
that is a popular venue for album launches and free live performances.
Music retail giants like HMV and Virgin are dead but outfits like Other Music, when
last checked, are doing a thriving business. Smaller and easily adaptable, Other Music
also sells concert tickets in store and non-rights-restricted MP3s on its website.
Stocked with thousands of obscure albums and vinyl, and with friendly staff whom
you can discuss music with, the store, located in East Village, feels like an intimate
gathering of like-minded people and indie music aficionados. The abundance of such
spaces in New York City facilitates the appreciation and commoditization of culture.
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19. 19
Mural, SoHo

20. People aka “Hipsters”
“The best come to New York because the best is already here and is more easily accessible
(and efficient) here than anywhere else in the world – because everyone else involved in
cultural production is also here and, just as important, the market for cultural goods and the
channels for distributing creativity are here.” – Elizabeth Currid, The Warhol Economy
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21. Of course, even with the abundance of spaces devoted to cultural production, New
York City would not be what it is today if not for her artists. The artists of New
York City gave rise to the greatest movements in the realms of literature (The Beat
Generation, The Harlem Renaissance), art (New York School, Zoo York), music
(Bebop, Punk, Rap Music, Indie Rock), dance (B-boying) and film (Independent films).
It is the presence of artists like Andy Warhol that attract even more artists to New
York City, setting in a motion of cumulative causation. Over time, this upward spiral
gathers a critical mass of what Richard Florida terms “The Creative Class”,
eventually resulting in a creative society of thinkers, performers and designers.
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22. Andy Warhol’s pop art, MoMA
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23. One must note that this creative society cannot be sustained and cannot develop
into a creative economy if there were no consumers of cultural goods. After all,
the artists, as much as they may want to create “art for art’s sake”, will still have
to find some way to make the rent at the end of every month. Fortunately, New
Yorkers have an insatiable appetite for cultural goods, leading to a truly healthy
creative economy – one that is not propped up by government funding.
I experienced that “insatiable appetite” first hand on more than one occasion,
when I showed up at a film screening or music gig mistakenly thinking that I can
get tickets at the door. Needless to say, the screening or gig was sold out days
ago, but there was still the option of queuing up for cancellation tickets.
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24. Queue to get into a Rooftop Films screening, Delancey Street
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25. No one understands convergence better than New York City. Cross genre
collaborations and cross industry partnerships have been honed to a craft.
Artists are savvy enough to sell their talents for commercial uses and businesses
are open to exploring new ways of creating marketing buzz – think Adidas
engaging superstar graffiti artist Lee Quinones to design sneakers.
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26. 26
The convergence of street art and commerce, Tremont, Bronx

27. Ceiling art, Balthazar
The End
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28. Passion aka “Conviction”
Robert Elmes, Director of Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn says, “If we don’t
produce strong, communicative, and effective work then we won’t survive – we’re not
feeding the hungry, we make art. If we can’t be grown up about that and stand up on
our own then we don’t think we’d have anything interesting to tell you anyway. This is
New York City. One of the greatest cultural cities to ever have risen; perhaps the
greatest. We’re not sitting around dreaming of the grant we applied for.”
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29. 29
Street art, South Bronx

30. Licensing one’s creative work for use by corporations does not necessarily mean
that the artist has sold out. As mentioned earlier, this is simply a means for the
artists to earn their keep. Many New York artists continue to pursue their creative
and artistic interests on the side. This unique balance shows that idealism and
conviction does not have to come at the sacrifice of commercial success.
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31. 31
Obama poster, Ludlow Street

32. New York City artists are not just passionate about breaking new barriers in their
craft, they are concerned about the communities they live in. Graffiti artist
Shepard Fairey of the Obama HOPE t-shirt fame, recently create a series of
posters for We are Human, an immigration reform campaign. Other artists, from
fashion designer Kenneth Cole to musician Diddy, have also campaigned for a
variety of socio-political causes including AIDS awareness and voting.
The flourishing of social movements mean that New York City is a place where
people believe in the freedom of expression and the pursuit of happiness. The
belief in these values, and the fact that a truly democratic political system exist,
mean that New Yorkers can act on these convictions freely.
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33. 33
Animation classroom at NYU Tisch

34. Going to a good business school and landing a job at a top bank or management consultancy
is desirable, but in New York City that is not the be all and end all. There is room for those
who do not fit into this mould of “success” and New York City is a place where creative
individuals find the training and opportunities for them to succeed. The conviction with
which these individuals pursue their craft contributes to a vibrant creative economy.
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35. FIT, Seventh Avenue
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36. Conclusion
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37. Pulsating with creative energy and possessing an irreverent spirit, New York City
is what it is today due to the unique collision of spaces, people, passion and
madness. This collision, and the resultant motion of cumulative causation that has
set in place, is what makes the creative economy of New York City so successful.
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38. Humour in the subway station, Essex Street Station
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39. Thumbnails
All photographs were shot using a Sony Alpha DSLR-A200
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40. 40

41. Glossary
1. “Scenes” – The abundance of spaces in New York City that is devoted to the
production and consumption of culture in New York City
2. “Hipsters” – The critical mass of talented artists in New York City and New
Yorkers, who possess a voracious appetite for cultural goods
3. “Conviction” – The passion of the artists that lead to a relentless pursuit in the
p e r f e c t i n g o f t h e i r c r a f t , r e s u l t i n g i n a v i b r a n t cu l t u ra l e c o no m y
4. “Madness” – The madness of inhabitants and the madness of the city that rub off
each other and give rise to creativity, spontaneity and freedom of self expression
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42. Credits
Photography and Commentary: Linette Lim
Supervisor: Associate Professor Mark Chong
Copyright 2009 by Linette Lim.
R e p r o d uc t i o n i s p ro h i b i te d w i t ho u t
p e r m i s s i o n . C o n t a c t :
l i nette . l im . 2006@bus iness.smu.edu.sg
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