Creative Preservation: A Framework of Creativity in Support of Degrowth

Creativity research tends to attribute value to new products and new ideas more than the
preservation and continuity of what already exists. In the context of the increasing depletion
of so-called ecological 'resources', this excessive focus on the disruptive new over the
disposable old has become problematic. This article introduces the notion of creative
preservation practices. We propose a framework to study these practices, which have so far
received little attention in the literature, despite being crucial for ensuring continuity,
preventing deterioration, and valuing what has been created, and already exists. We examine
four practices that reflect non-exhaustive aspects of creative preservation practices: upcycling,
bricolage, low-tech, and craftivism. The article opens with an ethic of creative preservation
practices in the context of degrowth. It marks a first step towards a re-imagining of creative
practices that are useful, not according to exogenous criteria, but in supporting our natural and
social milieu. It invites researchers to study creative practices that make us not occupant of
the world, but inhabitant of it, with the goal of reimagining new modes of relationality.
Keywords: creative preservation; ecology; degrowth; upcycling; bricolage; low-tech; craft