What is it about?
This paper examines the impact of involuntary career transitions - changes in work - on artists' work-related identities. We found that artists who can no longer make a living out of their artistic activities are forced to work outside the creative realm and are gradually pushed away from the creative industries. This loss of their creative identity leads to psychological stress and grief, making the transition problematic. Moreover, the artistic community often condemns an artist’s transition to other activities.
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Why is it important?
This study is focused on the creative industries workforce. Arts work is precarious, which means most arts workers experience change that is unexpected and unwelcome. This study provides in-depth insights into how artists deal with these changes and how they impact work-related identities.
Perspectives
For me, understanding the creative workforce is crucial for two reasons. First, I am keen to see artists better prepared and supported in their careers. Second, the whole labour market is shifting to more precarious and less linear career models. As such, the experience of creative industries workers helps us understand how we might prepare and support graduates across disciplines.
Professor Dawn Bennett
Curtin University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Involuntary career transition and identity within the artist population, Personnel Review, September 2016, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/pr-01-2015-0020.
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