The Lived Experience: Finding joy through working in the arts

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the connection between self-knowledge and working in the arts and how you use your knowledge of self within your work. It highlights the personal impact of working in the arts such as the development of confidence, aspiration, enjoyment, fun and happiness. The methodology employed is a phenomenologically informed narrative - stories lived and told (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). This allows the telling and development of participants' own stories or lived experience. The intention in bringing a phenomenological interpretation is to represent the essence of the lived experience in a thoughtful, reflective manner that highlights the personal impact, such as the development of confidence, aspiration, enjoyment, fun and happiness.