The rise and fall of professional singers: a typology of creative career stages in the performing arts

Abstract

Creative careers in the performing arts follow a somewhat unique trajectory that is driven by specific labour market conditions. This chapter outlines a typology of creative career stages as they have become evident in our explorations of the career trajectories of professional singers. The career stages we propose are: (1) pre-career; (2) breaking in; (3) the peak period; (4) denouement; (5) new directions. While our primary data relates specifically to singers, our experience and related literature suggests that lessons learned here should apply to performing arts careers more broadly. Creativity and identity are tightly intertwined for the professional singers and when seeking new directions following the denouement stage, the majority of singers in our study attempted to remain attached to an artistic field even when they accept that their time as a professional singer has passed. By focusing on the subjective experiences of professional singers, the chapter highlights that creative careers are difficult to sustain and that the fragility of the creative career, once realized, can have very real implications for the well- being of the creative professional given the extent to which their identity is tied up with their profession and the pursuit of creativity. The chapter also highlights that career trajectories in professional singing, and the performing arts more broadly, follow a distinctive arc because this labour force is creatively embodied. The chapter argues that it is only in the consideration of the lifecycle of the creative performance career that the critical link between pre- and post-career stages can be made. An implication of this study is that training for creative careers, particularly those focused on professional singing, must encompass more than perfecting the technical skills of the craft to include a capacity for medium-term career planning in order that new directions are be more seamlessly engaged with following career denouement. As such, there must be more to the creative career than an impetus for creativity.