At work and play: an exploration of street and graffiti artists

Abstract

Identity work has been a dominant metaphor within the identity literature, while ‘identity play’ has yet to be fully developed. The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the relationship between play at work and identity play. Contributions to date have proposed and outlined its theoretical potential principally by drawing upon work in other fields such as child development and relevant aspects of psychology and sociology. In contrast this study seeks to address a (creative) work situation directly, introduce empirical insights into identity play within the organisational and creativity literature, and deliver theoretical insights into the relationship between (identity) work and play. The empirical focus of this study is on an area where play is central to the work and identity, that of the lived experiences of street and graffiti artists, where there is a strong connection between the identities and the work (play) created. Using a life history methodology, I seek to explore creative (identity) work and play within the street and graffiti art context, and what (work and play) identity outcomes can occur as a part of their artistic practices.