Having a Future with Creative Work: Best Business Practices for Independent Creatives
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2020-02-25
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en
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Self-employed creative workers face significant numbers of challenges that bring their creative ambitions to an end. As a result, skillful creative work goes unpublished because of the restraining factors that do not allow the creatives to remain on the scene. Research shows that young graduates of various creative disciplines are not educated about the business implications of their work, therefore, they are simply unprepared for becoming qualified creative business owners. It is a much-discussed subject in academic literature. Yet, fully comprehensible solutions that address the various challenges of the fields are lacking. Generally, work in the Creative Industries is more often available on a project basis, which limits creatives to independent work. This study aims to fill the gap in research by determining the practical solutions specific to independent creatives. Building on secondary theoretical research and primary qualitative research carried out in this thesis, it asks: What are the best business practices for the success of independent creatives? In this context, success is defined as the ability of self-employed workers to financially sustain themselves for over five years depending on their creative work for the most part.
Based on a review of literature by authors who study the subject of the challenges facing independent creatives, ethnographic research is carried out to collect qualitative data from a sample of four successful Amsterdam-based independent creatives to understand their techniques of overcoming the main challenges of the field. In-depth interviews are used to collect this information from them. Analysis of results from the responses received demonstrates that some practices were favorable towards the success of their respective businesses. On this basis, a list of best business practices recommends techniques to build up a creative business as well as ways to grow it. Further research is recommended that could make these best businesses more effective and relatable to more creative disciplines.
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