We are obsessed
with the creative economy

Wait . . . what exactly is that?

The Creative Economy

The Creative Economy is, all things considered, a fairly new concept, which means pinning down a universal definition is tricky. For our purposes at Pattern, when we use the term, we’re talking about that magical (and yet oh-so-real and highly lucrative) interaction between creativity, culture, and commerce.

9.3$

BILLION

Contributed to Indiana’s economy in 2022 from the arts and culture industries.

+4%

Annual Growth

The national creative economy is projected to grow at a rate of 4% per year, compared to 2% for the overall economy, according to the Creative Industries Report by Otis College of Art and Design.

+5%

Employment

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector will grow by 5% between 2019 and 2029, faster than the average for all occupations overall.

The creative economy is a big deal.

And yet its role in Indiana continues to go unrecognized by many of our fellow Hoosiers. 

Fort Wayne has a top-caliber mural program. Madison is a hotbed for music. Bloomington is home to one of the oldest world music festivals in the United States. Columbus is an internationally recognized tourist destination for its public art and mid-century architecture.

Imagine a statewide effort to capitalize on talent attraction and retention, while improving quality of life and place for all Indiana residents. It starts with investment and infrastructure that supports the creative economy.

Download our 2024 Report

New Look

Same Heart

If you’ve been around for it, you know that Indianapolis has changed a lot since 2010. Us too. We started as an all-volunteer fashion meet-up. We grew into a magazine, added interns, tried our hand at retail, picked up an occasional client project. The world was our oyster! (You know the feeling, right?) We were all so young.

Since those early days, many of our founders and those original volunteers have moved states, started families, gotten so busy with their own client work . . .

We've changed, too.

We’ve traded late nights for project management software—weeknight parties for the Statehouse. At the end of the day, though, we’re still doing this for all the creatives who call Indiana home.

Our programming is designed for emerging creatives and early-stage creative entrepreneurs. Our creative services help distribute money across our state’s incredible pool of established talent. And our advocacy work has us in rooms and meetings we couldn’t have dreamed of in 2010, but we’re honored to be part of the solution.