Creative Fields Building Hope and Visions
One image can change the world. Before the first moon landing, it was easy to imagine Earth as infinite, but the image of a blue sphere floating in space changed the perspective. In today’s time of multiple crises, the world needs hope and future visions of a sustainable tomorrow.
The planetary boundaries of the Earth have been reached, and in the ongoing sustainability transition, change must be extended to the level of action in all sectors of society. Human activity threatens life-supporting systems and has caused the sixth mass extinction. The root causes of destruction lie in the culture of overconsumption.
– Once basic needs are met, additional material things do not bring people happiness or meaning. Meaning comes from experiences, community, and connection with nature, says Amanda Pasanen, Senior Specialist at One Planet Ltd, in her speech at the Luoto seminar.
Culture influences what people consider beautiful and valuable, and it also has the power to shift those values. For example, the whooper swan and the Saimaa ringed seal were hunted nearly to extinction before culture changed people’s perceptions—and thus their behavior. The swan’s rescue came through its rise as a symbol of the Finnish nation-state, and the Saimaa seal is now a symbol of conservation and pristine nature.
– Change is possible, and we have hope. We humans are causing these problems, but we also have the means to solve them.
Scientific knowledge does not necessarily lead to political or behavioral change. The mechanisms of influence of the creative sectors can bypass resistance to change: they touch human emotions and lived experience, bring things closer, and make them feel more real.
– We need a culture that values nature and builds understanding of life within planetary boundaries. We need films and books, different ways to approach life-sustaining systems through art and culture, because they reach parts of us that knowledge alone cannot, says Pasanen.
Creative content shapes lifestyles
It is essential that the creative sectors transform their own operations to be sustainable, but their greatest impact lies in their power to shift culture. The sustainability transition needs creative thinking, examples, actions, and experiments that open new perspectives on a good life within planetary boundaries. The creative sectors can help mainstream more sustainable ways of living. What is shown in cultural content influences what is perceived as normal, says writer and nature journalist Juha Kauppinen in his speech.
– Many people live their lives thinking: I have these personal dreams, my family, my children, I want to secure for them the future I once imagined, the one that society instilled in me—that this individual life cannot have much of an impact.
When millions, hundreds of millions, and billions think this way, a dominant reality with its crises is created. But creative content can change values, highlight injustices, imagine more sustainable lifestyles, and normalize them. The creative fields have the power to build both dystopian and utopian future visions that, at their best, awaken people to action.
Kauppinen notes that the same weak signal has emerged in many contexts lately: the need for positive future visions. Many are longing for something to attach to, something to strive for, and something to fight for.
– We are good at developing dystopias, but when we talk about positivity and hope in the context of creative work, it’s often perceived as soft or fluffy. I challenge everyone to think about what positive futures could look like, and to make them into something—whatever it is you do. We need to be able to imagine positive futures as well.
Action is the price of hope
The message from many climate scientists is grim: humanity is committing collective suicide. But Jacob Teglgaard, project manager at the Danish Kulturens Analyseinstitut, reminds us that we can still change the future and imagine alternatives to destruction.
– The creative sectors play a key role in advancing change. We tell stories of tomorrow; we can tell compelling stories that feed change and make it easier. We must admit that change can hurt.
People and communities are thirsty for hope and bright visions of the future. The creative sectors can show what meaningful, joyful life within planetary boundaries could look like—and invite people to work together toward a more sustainable and just world. Action is the price of hope. Change is possible if more and more people find hope through action.
– Cultural institutions are not neutral spaces but are deeply embedded in the social and ethical fabric of communities. Historically, they have taken stands on political, human rights, and social justice issues. Now, they have a moral imperative to respond to the crises of our time, says Teglgaard.
The relevance of the creative sectors is tied to their ability to engage with urgent issues. For cultural content to remain meaningful amidst multiple crises, it must tackle the challenges shaping the future of humanity and the planet.
– The fundamental nature of culture is an endless network where one person alone cannot do much. One person cannot do enough—that is a liberating impossibility, says Juha Kauppinen.
Yet everyone can do something. Kauppinen’s book Heräämisiä (2021) includes dozens of scientific articles inspired by the creative work of others. When documentary director Virpi Suutari was inspired by the book, Havumetsän lapset (2024) was born. During their collaboration, Kauppinen met Suutari’s partner, Martti Suosalo, for whom he wrote the Starman monologue (2024), which deals with biodiversity loss and has been performed to full houses.
– All of this sprouts from the mycelium of culture. One person can’t do enough, but when many of us do our creative work, the result is something beautiful and lasting—and hopefully, a more sustainable future.
Culture is the heart of change
Human activity has thrown Earth out of a balance that lasted thousands of years. Life-supporting systems are under threat, the climate is warming, and many ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. Humanity needs new approaches to reconcile its way of life with the planet’s limits. The crisis cannot be fixed with the same attitudes and thinking that created it.
– The climate crisis is also a cultural crisis and thus a crisis of imagination.Solutions must go to the root causes. Everyone lives and values their experiences within their own cultural framework… Culture is the heart of everyday experience. Our task is to place culture at the heart of climate solutions, says Taghrid Choucair-Vizoso, Programme Director at Julie’s Bicycle.
Cultural values must be challenged and reassessed. Global structures are largely based on unsustainable exploitation—of both people and nature. The justice crisis is vast but also offers a chance to rebuild, as does the ecological sustainability transition.
– Net zero is not only a climate math problem. When we act and take responsibility, our brains and thinking adapt: we physically create new ways of relating to the world.
The creative sectors and communities are critically important in solving the climate, nature, and justice crises. They are capable of action and lead by example, unite people, invite participation, imagine new ways, and develop solutions. The creative fields have the power to shape the world—and the role of artists is to make the revolution irresistible. Change requires a collective movement.
– We need artists to imagine hopeful futures—and to build an attractive movement that challenges traditional power structures and helps shift values radically from consumption and individualism toward collective justice, says Choucair-Vizoso.
Writer: Saana Katila
This article is based on speeches given at the Creative Industries for a Sustainable Future seminar on May 26, 2025. The event marked the launch of the Luoto platform, which gathers the sustainability efforts of the creative sectors. The seminar’s talks are available here.