Abstract
The creative industries have gained increasing social influence as a growth sector in post-industrial societies. While cultural studies and sociology have shed light on the precarity of creative labour, these fields often dichotomize the pursuit of cultural and economic value, neglecting how creators reconcile this tension to sustain their careers and livelihoods. This paper investigates how creators navigate the cultural-economic dilemma and maintain creative labour as a sustainable livelihood through an interview study with professional band members. Three key findings are presented.
First, band members face diminished creative autonomy, stringent deadlines, and identity crises, highlighting the dual pressures of cultural ideals and economic realities. Second, they employ strategic diversification: balancing their primary band activities with solo projects to pursue originality or collaborating with other artists to stabilize income and overcome creative blocks. This diversification allows them to mitigate cultural-economic conflicts while preserving creative integrity. Third, in diversifying their practices, band members try to sublate the dilemma by enhancing their flexibility in creative labour. They also reconstruct their professional identities in more abstract terms, enabling them to align their creative aspirations with economic viability.
The significance of this study lies in its reframing of precarious creative labour from the perspective of creators who shape their lives through their work, rather than treating the pursuit of cultural and economic value as a binary choice. By uncovering the realities of how creators sustain their careers, this article emphasizes the need to critically examine labour issues in the creative industries.
