An aesthetic understanding of the craft sector

Abstract

This paper evaluates the contribution of aesthetics to our understanding of the craft sector within the creative industries. Aesthetics make a dual contribution in terms of its original interpretation as an artistic factor relating to beauty, and also can be viewed in terms of the different styles of managing shaped by the owner/manager of the craft enterprise. In addition, creativity provides the artistic enterprise with competitive advantage, resulting in innovative products. Previous research on the creative industries has tended to follow a conventional path, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data constructed from in-depth interviews and large scale surveys. This paper conceptualises the essence of the creative industries, drawing on examples from craft in order to reach an understanding of the aesthetic value and impact of the sector