Tranformative interplay and creative self-actualising solutions. What organisations and communities can learn from musicians

The main driver for this manuscript is to identify a political economy of creativity. This ambitious task is undertaken by considering ways in which economies coordinate resources, and how these foster or jeopardise creativity, but also how they can complement, given limitations. This ambitious task is undertaken by considering traditional ways in which economies coordinate resources, that is market exchange and authority within or across organised bureaucracies, as well as the third alternative and complementary way, i.e. cooperation. We explain cooperation by building a parallel with interplay, a concept taken from music and contextualise it within the notion of creative space, characterised by inclusivity, openness and multiple centres of creative power. Evidence is based qualitative data derived from the ongoing observation of interplay practice in music and in cultural organisations.