Through the contributions of women working in the creative industries, this timely book explores the role of creativity in their lives, the experiences that have positively contributed to and supported their creativity and their work, as well as how gendered considerations intersect with their involvement in the cultural sphere. Spanning psychology, cultural and media studies, and the philosophy of art, it builds on existing research by offering examples of the abundance of creativity residing in women working in film and television, architecture, design, music, theatre, and the performing and visual arts in Ireland. Their reflections offer a valuable counter perspective to the assumption that women are more naturally the 'muse' than the creator. From these conversations, some common, although at times diverging, experiences in childhood, early career and approaches to their creative work offer important insights into the nature and practice of creativity and the conditions that may best nurture and support creativity in girls and women. Providing original observations into gendered understandings of creativity, this book will be essential reading for researchers, advanced students and practitioners seeking contemporary insights on creativity, feminism and gender.

This book presents the first in-depth exploration into the gendered attitudes and worldviews of advertising students. Offering a significant contribution to other cultural sociological works concerning the cultural and creative industries, Learning to Sell Sex(ism) adds further weight to the argument that it is imperative that we look closely at the people who create media texts in order to better account for and challenge sexist media content. In this study, such media creators are the advertising industry's next generation of practitioners and creatives. Involving a mix of in-depth questionnaires, qualitative surveys, interviews with students, observational data, as well as an examination of the components comprising advertising modules, O'Driscoll documents the dominant gendered discourses articulated by advertising students and offers an opportunity for the advertising educational sector to reflect on how it might play its part in reducing stereotypical and sexist content emanating from the industry. Learning to Sell Sex(ism) will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including media studies, gender studies, sociology, cultural studies and marketing.