Techno-creativity and authentic leadership: creativity, technology, and artistic practice intertwined

Abstract

Through my work as an artist, educator, and activist, I aim to promote the interconnectedness of arts, management, creativity, curating, research, and technology by developing courses for art academies, art students, and interdisciplinary students at universities. I believe that future university and art academy education will increasingly integrate interdisciplinarity, combining fields such as management, creativity, technology (including artificial intelligence), curating, and other disciplines. This approach aligns with the interdisciplinary nature of professional life after graduation, whether one pursues a career as an artist or as a director of an institution. I reference both the art academy and university environments due to my experience as a lecturer in both settings. The article explores the relationship between authentic leadership and creativity within the context of university pedagogy, utilizing a reflexive research method based on a case study of creativity education. This case study focuses solely on the university environment, specifically on teaching creativity to interdisciplinary groups of students. My experience as a lecturer contains teaching artists, performers, and interdisciplinary students at both the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts levels. Data includes my notes as a facilitator-lecturer, as well as the creative output and feedback from the interdisciplinary student groups. This data is analyzed using qualitative methods. The case study, derived from a Digital Creativity course, is examined speculatively to assess how the skills acquired may impact students post-graduation. As I was not in contact with students after the course ended, observations are limited to the processes observed during the course itself. The research question addressed is: how can digital learning of authentic leadership and creativity be facilitated within university pedagogy to create a safe and empathetic learning environment for students? Leadership is discussed from the perspective of authentic leadership and its relationship to creativity. Digital literacy is framed as critical thinking and responsibility in the context of collaboration with non-human entities, such as artificial intelligence. This study is relevant for university and art academy professionals working in cross-disciplinary contexts related to authentic leadership and creativity.