Creativity and "Productivity": A Panel Report and Meditiation

One of the most thought-provoking panels I attended at this year's WisCon was entitled "Geekiness and 'Productivity'." Here's the description:

Capitalism tells us that we are only worthwhile when we produce or when we consume. As a result, many of us end up justifying everything we do, whether for work or pleasure, in terms of "productivity": "I'm useful to society because I make widgets." "My crafting/stargazing/gaming/reading/writing make me work better and consume more." "That person is a better geek than me because they spend more money on their hobbies." These kinds of framing buy into and reinforce capitalism. Are there ways of framing geeky pursuits that don't buy into a capitalist framework? Are there ways of justifying our geeky pursuits that don't commodify them? Are there ways to avoid needing to justify our geeky sides at all?

This is the only panel where I took any sort of notes. I didn't start right away, and my notes are a bit sketchy, certainly not any kind of exact transcript. So this will not be a thorough write-up, and not every thought will be attributed. If I ever find a more detailed post, I'll link it here. (And if you're aware of one, please let me know!) My post will be more a summation of the ideas the panelists shared, and the ideas that they sparked in me while I was listening. For panelist names and links to their bios, see the WisCon website. I also recommend checking out the Twitter hashtag, which does have some more detailed quotes, some attributed.

( Cutting for length. )