ABSTRACT
Little research explores what it means to work in the cultural sector; what the lived practices are; how they are experienced; and how they differ, if at all, from other working practices in more mainstream, for-profit sectors which do not have cultural practice and production at their core. Drawing on interviews with 14 cultural workers in Dublin, Ireland, this research actively considers this and explores if “internal needs” outweigh “external needs” as a lifestyle choice and a sustainable livelihood strategy (MacIntyre, 1985). What emerges are the shared norms and values across a variety of cultural domains (KEA, 2006), along with the “hidden costs” of this work in the professional and personal experiences of these individuals (Menger, 2002).
