Is creativity our greatest resource for starting anew?
Client
BizMaker
Project Type
Designing Processes / Framing Change
Role
Creative direction · Workshop design & facilitation · Vision manifesto concept · Photography & video capture · Strategic oversight
Credits
Stupid Studio
BizMaker is a regional innovation partner in Västernorrland, Sweden, dedicated to driving sustainable growth across sectors. Recognising the unique challenges faced by the region’s cultural and creative industries, such as limited visibility, lack of cross-sector trust, outmigration, and underfunding, they launched a study to explore how innovation programs could better support these essential contributors. Spanning design, film, crafts, performance, and digital art, these industries are seen as vital to shaping a more vibrant and resilient future for the region.
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Västernorrland is a region with deep roots and real potential, but it is also one facing important choices. Many young people, especially women, are choosing to leave, shaping the region’s future in quiet but significant ways. Traditional industries are finding it harder to attract new talent. For those working in the creative fields, it can sometimes feel as though their work isn’t fully seen or supported. Collaboration across sectors is essential, particularly when addressing major challenges such as climate adaptation, yet trust can be fragile. And while the arts bring richness and connection to everyday life, they are not always given the space or support they need to flourish.
Our role at Stupid Studio was to listen, gather perspectives, and help shape a shared vision for how cultural and creative industries (CCIs) can grow and thrive in ways that reflect the region’s unique strengths.
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Through a series of workshops and stakeholder dialogues, we listened closely to those shaping the region’s future, from artists and entrepreneurs to municipal leaders and academics. What emerged was a shared desire for bold, meaningful change rooted in place, people, and possibility.
We captured this in a Vision Manifesto — a practical, poetic north star that outlines how creativity, nature, and business might intersect in new ways.
Among the ideas that surfaced were:
– A space where nature isn’t the backdrop, but the engine of creative work.
– A digital platform to connect, support and elevate the CCIs of the region.
– A new narrative for value — economic, ecological, and emotional
The work continues, but this moment marked a beginning.
Listen to an activity from the session
