Establishing the crafting self in the contemporary creative economy
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(Published version)
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2018
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Luckman, S.
Andrew, J.
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Luckman, S.
Thomas, N.
Thomas, N.
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Book chapter
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Source details - Title: Craft economies, 2018 / Luckman, S., Thomas, N. (ed./s), Ch.11, pp.119-128
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Alongside more traditional selling options such as shop based retail and commission sales, online craft retail sites are attractive to many creative sole traders and SMEs and have catalysed an explosive expansion in the international creative marketplace. A creative micro-economy that provides a rich international online marketplace enabling buying ‘directly’ from the maker offers both creative graduates and more established designer-makers micro-entrepreneurial pathways not previously open to them. However, the ease of establishing online shopfronts hides the complex work required to start and run a small business, especially one in an increasingly globally competitive space with isolated producers and narrow profit margins. This raises new challenges for craftspeople and designer-makers, who not only require practice-based skills but new entrepreneurial skill-sets—both technical and personal—to operate successfully as a micro-enterprise in this emerging global market. To maximise the potential of these opportunities at a practical level, skills in professional practice need to be complemented by other capacities. Notably these include the skills to successfully negotiate the use of social media as a marketing tool that requires the promotion of maker self-identity as part of the whole package of value being sold. Drawing upon initial data from a large three year empirical investigation into the experiences of both graduate and established Australian craftspeople and designer-makers, this chapter explores the question: what are the self-making skills required to succeed in this competitive, social media fueled, environment?
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Copyright 2018 Susan Luckman and Nicola Thomas