A Qualitatove Stidu of Artist Identity through Interviews with Artists in the Music Field

Abstract

Although the concept of art has long been discussed by philosophers and theorists, it has not been clearly defined and a variety of perspectives coexist today. Contemporarily, the borderline of art is becoming increasingly vague. The introduction of art created by animals or AI has triggered the need for a fundamental reconsideration of artist identity. This paper focuses on the origin of artist identity and the factors that affect it, through in-depth interviews with artists in the music field. Artist identity is formed by the inspiration received from art and shaped through the process of artistic “grinding” or creation. An artist subjectively sets “a boundary of perceived art”top of the identity salience hierarchy under the title “artist.” Next in the hierarchy sits the “art worker” as a functional being in the art field, and multi-identity is placed at the bottom. The main factors that affect artist identity are whether the artist’s intention resides in their art, changes in the sense of belonging, and feedback from colleagues in the same artistic field. Artist identity constitutes the essential factor in art and culture and often comes to closely relate to a nation’s foreign policy and economy. A study of artist identity and its discrepancies would further solidify our grasp of the true nature and meaning of art. It is also applicable in practical terms to fostering a more effective and efficient creative artistic environment.