The career construction of performing artists
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Date
2022
Authors
Kleynhans, Ronel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Performing artists continuously face challenges of non-traditional, flexible, and protean career trajectories. Applying Career Construction Theory and Life Design Intervention to Performing Artists can shed light on their experiences, perceptions, and sense-making processes as they navigate their life and career stages, especially against the unique backdrop of the challenging South African artistic environment. The novel perspective can be applied to various protean career trajectories and the training of Performing Artists. To this end, a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive case study design was adopted. Convenience sampling was used to select 19 performing artists to participate in the study. Data-gathering instruments included various narrative data-gathering techniques, and Thematic Analysis was utilised to analyse the data. The findings revealed that being a performing artist emerged as a core value that advances their self- and career identity. Furthermore, performing artists experience rejection on intrapersonal, micro-, and macro-societal levels and employ different strategies, such as adaptability, spirituality, and creativity, to deal with hardships throughout their lives. Additionally, participants' experiences and interactions with external influences shaped their decision to choose a performing arts career. Importantly, participants reported receiving support and encouragement from at least one significant person in their life to follow their dream, irrespective of the career field. Creativity permeates every aspect of their being and is drawn on to convert their pain into purpose and enable them to make social contributions within and outside the artistic sphere. Further research is needed on how performing artists' creativity can be harnessed to bolster their participation in entrepreneurial endeavours.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Career construction, life-design counselling, life- and career stages, protean career, performing artists