Artpreneurs and Success Attainment: An Explorative Study of Formally Educated and Autodidact Artists.

Abstract

The aim of this research is to understand the underlying success factors for artist entrepreneurs’, with the main focus on artpreneurship education. A large number of successful art entrepreneurs are seen to have no formal education in arts; these self-taught artists, although are successful in their domain, are less studied in the context of Pakistan. Also, those who get formal education and take it as their career choice present to be the other interesting aspect. The theory of self-determination is used as a lens to understand the motivations and success drivers of these arts entrepreneurs. A comparative research takes qualitative approach by collecting data through semi structured interviews from 20 artpreneurs with formal art education and artists who autodidact. Thematic analysis of Barun and Clark resulted in 6 categories highlighting the antecedents in an artist’s successful entrepreneurial journey. It was concluded how not just the factors of education and self-learning stand important but alongside other factors such as determination, motivation, art world and art enthusiasts & critics play an equal and important role in success for art entrepreneurs.