Defining the creative economy, as a step toward advocating for its importance to Maine, is a difficult proposition. It’s far easier to say what it is not than to say what it is. The creative economy is not a painter, shivering and starving in a garret or loft, creating art that may one day hang in a museum. It is not a writer, living hermitlike in a cabin in the woods, sending his manuscript to a New York publisher. It is a minority, but not a fringe segment of the state’s entrepreneurial class, and one with significant impact on mainstream business life.

This last point cannot be stressed enough. As with other components of the state’s economy, the creative sector may not dominate in the way that the paper industry once did, but it must be understood, valued and nurtured for Maine to realize its maximum financial benefits.

The creative economy, a label created by economist and sociologist Richard Florida in his highly regarded book on the subject, is believed to be a new but powerful force, ideally suited – with a tweak here and there – to Maine. Artists, artisans, writers, musicians and those in high-tech work are drawn to, and in turn create and expand, a dynamic social environment. And they often find that environment in the historic downtowns of Maine’s service centers, where they can rent an inexpensive studio or office in a pretty old brick building, take breaks and grab some food in a coffeeshop or cafe within walking distance, and be inspired by a climate of culture around them.

These sorts of downtowns, says Linda Matychowiak, executive director of Gardiner Main Street, a community booster group for that town, fuel the creative class. “It’s a palpable energy,” she says, sought for its enervating properties, “like an actor on a stage feeding off an audience.”

The natural environment is also key for the creative class, and Maine has that in abundance. Most of Maine’s historic downtowns are situated on rivers or bays, providing scenic wealth, and outdoor recreational opportunities abound a short drive away, also important to the creative class.

Mr. Florida’s theory, which has been endorsed by Gov. John Baldacci and many other state leaders, is that cities and towns ultimately win more by investing in keeping and improving their cultural environments than in trying to land a big-box store or large-scale housing development. Adopting LD 262, a bill that would expand tax credits to developers restoring historic buildings, is one small step the state can take to encourage such work.

The importance of artists in the creative economy was a focus of the recent statewide conference in Camden on the issue. Fair enough, but without their connection to restaurants, bakeries, retail shops and professional services, the creative class begins to resemble the painter in the garret.

The creative economy, as a concept for understanding new social and market forces, underscores the vital and dynamic relationship between quality of place and the economy. Efforts the state and communities make toward enhancing that quality of place now can be justified economically.