Arts entrepreneurs as value creators in and beyond the cultural ecosystem

Artists who work as, or plan to become, entrepreneurs often face identity and value conflicts as well as precarious conditions, yet many arts entrepreneurs find entrepreneurship a meaningful way of working. This article analyses the values-related motivations and aspirations of early-stage arts entrepreneurs in Finland, focusing on how their internal values influence their entrepreneurial activities and the kinds of value they seek to create within the cultural ecosystem and society. Based on interviews with early-stage arts entrepreneurs, the findings indicate that they are driven by a sense of responsibility and guided by their internal values, but they perceive neoliberal entrepreneurship discourses as alienating. They are particularly interested in creating value for artistic communities and the whole arts and culture sector but also for broader society. The paper proposes an ecosystemic approach to foster more pluralistic conceptions of value and entrepreneurial activity in an arts context.