Artist identity is a vital part of fitness to practice for dramatherapists

Embracing the dual identity of artist with therapist is valuable for dramatherapists, particularly when addressing the issue of fitness to practice.

Realizing, Adapting, and Thriving in Career Transitions From Gymnastics to Contemporary Circus Arts

The purpose of this study was to explore the career transition experiences of elite gymnasts who became professional circus artists. Eight (inter)national level gymnasts who worked as circus artists were interviewed. Using a constructionist approach to thematic data analysis, we identified a three-phase career transition process. High levels of psychological resilience characteristics were required in the first, “realizing” phase (i.e., motivation, hard work, social support, and optimism). The second, “adapting” phase involved balancing context-specific demands which included general stress, a loss of competence, social adjustment, taking calculated risks, and physical recovery. The third, “thriving” phase involved experiences of freedom, personal development, and social connectedness. During the career transition, changes from an athletic to circus artist identity were experienced. Practitioners are encouraged to support the psychological resilience and experiences of autonomy among circus artists during their career transitions. This is expected to facilitate circus artists’ wellbeing, safety, and career longevity.

Musical Branding, Artist Identity, and the Nashville Sound

Many writers have treated the Nashville Sound as a single, monolithic style characterized by smooth background vocals, reverberant lead vocals, and sparing instrumental accompaniments. Yet, in a 1991 interview, prolific Nashville session guitarist Harold Bradley observed that “[w]hen people say the Nashville Sound, you know, singularly, I think they’re wrong, because it should be plural. Everybody that’s heavy has had their sound. . . .” Drawing upon Mark Samples’s (2012) work on musical branding, this chapter examines the ways that record producers, session musicians, and recording artists used the musical resources of Nashville’s recording studios to develop signature sounds that helped listeners identify their favorite singers on recordings and radio. Moreover, building upon recent work on the development of all-country radio during the 1960s, this chapter argues that musical brands may have played an essential role in maintaining listener attention, thereby ensuring the success of the new format.

Today’s artist identity as multicultural and hybrid identity

After modernism, the definition of a work of art and the manner in which art is being created has changed. Artists today, no longer being nourished by their cultures alone, not identified as ‘genius’ or considered to be highly talented. They take part in the new world with their multiple identities. Art, via circulations that exceed the borders of nation states, is being moved away from indigenous values and authentic innocence towards a globalized and monopolized world. Notably, the cold war coming to an end in the 1980s, demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the opening of national borders and globalism which feeds on electronic communication, have been shaping the contemporary world into a new form. All of these factors contribute to the creation of new type of artist, with legitimized hybridity within art. The issue is not the identity itself, but how it is being represented. This is due to the risk of ghettoization, brought along by claiming a culture and identity for oneself. The hybrid identities confronting us are political strategies out to tear down stereotypes such as race, gender, ethnic origin and conventional way of thinking. There is currently an increase in the numbers of artists, who manage to fit a variety of cultures into their lives, reside in a cosmopolitan manner within multiple geographical locations and create in several countries at once. The art world, having been de-centered, away from the West; upon discovering artists from Africa, South America and Asia, and conveying them towards the globalized world, is at the same time harboring a problem of standardization and similitude. The leisure of traveling the earth can be an advantage for an artist; however the lack of having roots and the insecurity caused by a nomadic lifestyle can turn into a disadvantage. Keywords:multicultural, hybrid identity, contemporary art.

Creating a "Latino" Artist Identity in-between Sweden and Latin America - A Comparative Approach

<p>This article engages in a close comparative reading of the creation of a “Latino” artist identity by two Swedish artists – Fredrik FreddeRico Ekelund and Rodrigo Rodde Bernal. By focusing on the theoretical concept of white Swedish masculin- ity, it aims to deepen the understanding of how such identities are created within and against the background of specific historical contexts and locations.</p>

Reclaiming a Positive Identity in Chronic Illness through Artistic Occupation

This article presents a qualitative study of women's positive reconstruction of self and identity during chronic illness through engaging in textile artwork. Ten women volunteered to be interviewed about the influence of their artistic occupations on their perceived health, well-being, and identity in chronic illness. This article specifically examines identity-related issues within the narratives, guided by the principles of grounded theory. The thematic analysis revealed that the participants' engagement in art-making during illness gradually contributed to a positive identity as a textile artist. Although emerging after the onset of illness, the artist identity enabled each participant to express continuities with her pre-illness self and values. Participants also regained a positive sense of personal growth, status, achievement, and connection with other women, which all appeared to promote their successful adaptation to ill health. The support of social networks and the wider cultural milieu may have enabled participants to commit themselves to their artwork. The findings suggest that meaningful artistic occupation may provide a source of positive identity for people living with chronic illness, even when they have not engaged regularly in art in their earlier adult lives.