Making it in London and Scotland: a comparison of creative identities in career development and brand building

This paper examines the career trajectories of creative producers to investigate the process of career creation from a marketing perspective, allowing for a more dynamic and longitudinal perspective of creative microbusiness marketing activities to emerge. The sample of indviduals we consider is drawn from the art and craft sector in London and Scotland. Findings suggest that an understanding of identity is needed to identify how these careers are constructed and managed. This is because product and career development are inextricably linked by the producers' engagement in exchange processes of the market (production, consumption, positioning and value) The dynamic and unfolding nature of these careers is understood by considering the complexity of market influences on them. The inherent tensions these influences create is recognised, primarily due to the fact that these producers need to market not only the product they create but also their own identities as producers.