Resilience in Creative Craft Production: The Case of Country Music Songwriters in Nashville

Abstract

A common thread in contemporary studies on craft is that the crafts are under pressure and that systems of craft production are fragile. While this imagery is true in many contexts, examples of craft persistence and resilience are also abound. In this study of a highly resilient creative crafts collective – Nashville’s country music songwriters – we find that the origins of craft persistence in this context lie in positive symbiosis between interlocking systems of craft and industrial production. Interviews with 56 songwriters reveal that the elements of this symbiosis involve the maintenance of institutions of shared value, brokers fostering linkages between the artistic and commercial spheres, and socialization practices favoring the perennial influx of new craft workers. We incorporate these elements in a grounded theoretical model spanning multiple levels of analysis – from micro-momentary craft practices to ecosystem design features – explaining craft resilience. Our work advances current theorizing on craft by drawing greater attention to the contextual preconditions allowing crafts to persist in fully industrialized and commercialized settings.