hepeoplewhomade

The List's guide to Scotland's one hundred best creative talents

Words: Nick Barley

t‘s late October 2003. and our search for Scotland‘s most creative people begins. Where to start? By asking our editorial team. of course. From film and music to food and sport. the people who have made a difference this year are submitted by The [.ist’s editors and critics. Some 250 names are nominated. After weeks of lierce argument. we whittle the list down to l50. Then. a process of scoring begins: names are rated according to originality. impact in their field. and critical success. The criteria are strict: above all. nominees are judged on their creativity. rather than. say. financial success. Secondly. we focus on the contribution made during 2003. and this rules out a number of worthy candidates. Louise Welsh. for example. whose novel The Cutting Room would have propelled her to a top ten spot for 2002. makes way for those with books published this year. Thirdly. Scots living and working outside the country are eligible. as well as non-Scots working in Scotland. We try to choose artists rather than curators. musicians rather than promoters. novelists rather than publishers. knowing that in most cases. no-one could have made it without the help of many enablers behind the scenes. Is it possible tojudge the merits of a comedian against those of a conductor. or a novelist against a chef? Probably not. but we have had a go. The resulting list is an extraordinary cross section of creative talent. and it demonstrates that Scotland's creative industries are as strong as any in Europe. So who makes it into this year‘s llot I00? Read on and find out.