You Can Purchase This Book From Amazon

If you answered yes to all of the above, you could be a Cultural Creative -- or at least on the path to becoming one.  Even if you’re not a Cultural Creative, chances are you share an office or a bedroom with one.  Either way, you need to know what they’re thinking, what they’re buying, and what they’re up to. 

There are approximately 50 million Cultural Creatives in America, claim Paul H. Ray, Ph.D. and Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., authors of  The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World.  Cultural Creatives care deeply about the environment, social justice, spirituality, relationships and self-actualization – and they want to change your world.  Their distinctive lifestyle choices are strongly influencing the American marketplace, claim Ray and Anderson, who spent 13 years surveying more than 100,000 Americans who fit the profile. (Ray and Anderson coined the term Cultural Creatives during their research.)Educated at Yale and the University of Michigan, Ray is director of American LIVES, Inc., a market research firm. Anderson is head of psychological research at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry.

“Since the 1960s, 26 percent of adults in the United States – 50 million people – have made a comprehensive shift in their worldview, values, and way of life,” the authors explain. “These creative, optimistic individuals are at the leading edge of several kinds of cultural change, deeply affecting not only their own lives, but our larger society as well.”

You won’t have to look hard to find Cultural Creatives in your own community.  They’re the ones running the local vegetarian restaurants, independent bookstores, and cutting-edge art galleries. They are the health practitioners who prescribe natural remedies in lieu of prescription drugs. And don’t overlook the retirees who volunteer countless hours at homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

Cultural Creatives refuse to swallow everything that’s fed by the mainstream media. They demand “authenticity” and use the word often – at home, in the stores, at work, and in politics. 

“They insist on seeing the big picture in news stories and ads,” note Ray and Anderson.

And while they dislike being labeled ‘New Age,’ many Cultural Creatives tend to favor natural fibers and organically grown foods. Not surprisingly, the new group can trace its roots to the civil rights, ecology, and natural health movements of the 1960s. Today, Cultural Creatives are committed to eradicating domestic violence, world hunger, and homelessness. According to Ray and Anderson, they log more hours doing volunteer work for charity and community projects than any other American sector.

 The authors’ extensive research is clearly presented without boring the mainstream reader.  At times I found the book biased in favor of a holistic agenda – an agenda that probably won’t appeal to Cultural Conservatives. Regardless, I'd highly recommend the book to anyone running a progressive company; it would be especially valuable to marketing firms and advertising agencies. And it's bound to fascinate anyone interested in new social trends or alternative American lifestyles.

The above review was contributed by: *Cindy La Ferle: Cindy's articles, reviews, and essays have been published in the Christian Science Monitor, Reader's Digest, Literary Mama, MetroParent, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Writer's Digest, and many other regional and national publications.