Rhythms of Creativity and Power in Freelance Creative Work

Frederick Harry Pitts

doi:10.1057/978-1-137-47919-8_7

Rhythms of Creativity and Power in Freelance Creative Work

Frederick Harry Pitts

School of Education

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter in a book

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Abstract

Freelancers work for companies, but also apart from them - at home, on site, or in shared workspaces. This chapter examines how clients and freelancers manage and organise the employment relationship at a distance. Utilising interview data with freelancers working in the Dutch creative industries, Henri Lefebvre’s method of ‘rhythmanalysis’, Nitzan and Bichler’s theory of ‘capital as power’, and John Holloway’s understanding of human creativity as ‘doing’, the chapter examines the conflicting rhythms of freelance creative work. It shows that freelancers remain subject to traditional workplace-oriented structures of control, particularly in creative agencies. Freelancers’ use of time must correspond to client processes of measurement and valuation. Different client relationships, and the proximity they imply, produce different rhythms of work.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Virtual Workers and the Global Labour Market
Editors	Juliet Webster, Keith Randle
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
Chapter	7
Pages	139-159
Number of pages	21
ISBN (Electronic)	9781137479198
ISBN (Print)	9781137479181
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47919-8_7
Publication status	Published - 28 Sept 2016

Publication series

Name	Dynamics of Virtual Work
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan

Research Groups and Themes

Cultural Work
Perspectives on Work
MGMT Work Organisation and Public Policy
MGMT theme Work Futures

Keywords

Work, Labour
Creative Industries
Creative labour
Sociology of Work
critical management studies
organization
organization and management
Capital as Power
Lefebvre
rhythmanalysis
freelance work
Self-employment
labour process

Access to Document

10.1057/978-1-137-47919-8_7

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Accepted author manuscript, 457 KB

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Cite this

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abstract = "Freelancers work for companies, but also apart from them - at home, on site, or in shared workspaces. This chapter examines how clients and freelancers manage and organise the employment relationship at a distance. Utilising interview data with freelancers working in the Dutch creative industries, Henri Lefebvre{\textquoteright}s method of {\textquoteleft}rhythmanalysis{\textquoteright}, Nitzan and Bichler{\textquoteright}s theory of {\textquoteleft}capital as power{\textquoteright}, and John Holloway{\textquoteright}s understanding of human creativity as {\textquoteleft}doing{\textquoteright}, the chapter examines the conflicting rhythms of freelance creative work. It shows that freelancers remain subject to traditional workplace-oriented structures of control, particularly in creative agencies. Freelancers{\textquoteright} use of time must correspond to client processes of measurement and valuation. Different client relationships, and the proximity they imply, produce different rhythms of work.",

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AB - Freelancers work for companies, but also apart from them - at home, on site, or in shared workspaces. This chapter examines how clients and freelancers manage and organise the employment relationship at a distance. Utilising interview data with freelancers working in the Dutch creative industries, Henri Lefebvre’s method of ‘rhythmanalysis’, Nitzan and Bichler’s theory of ‘capital as power’, and John Holloway’s understanding of human creativity as ‘doing’, the chapter examines the conflicting rhythms of freelance creative work. It shows that freelancers remain subject to traditional workplace-oriented structures of control, particularly in creative agencies. Freelancers’ use of time must correspond to client processes of measurement and valuation. Different client relationships, and the proximity they imply, produce different rhythms of work.

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KW - Creative Industries

KW - Creative labour

KW - Sociology of Work

KW - critical management studies

KW - organization

KW - organization and management

KW - Capital as Power

KW - Lefebvre

KW - rhythmanalysis

KW - freelance work

KW - Self-employment

KW - labour process

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PB - Palgrave Macmillan

ER -

Rhythms of Creativity and Power in Freelance Creative Work

Abstract

Publication series

Research Groups and Themes

Keywords

Access to Document

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