The impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns on professional and personal lives of freelance creative collaborative musicians

The global pandemic has severely disrupted the performing arts sector, with research documenting economic, professional, and health impacts on musicians. The psychological effects of lockdowns have been recognized, but little is known regarding their impact on freelance creative collaborative artists. This qualitative case study uses a resilience lens to report the perspectives of freelance creative collaborative musicians from the city of Melbourne, the Australian city which experienced the greatest period of lockdown in the country. Three main themes were identified: professional impacts (loss of work, loss of artistic identity, professional coping strategies), personal impacts (lockdown stressors, personal coping strategies, relationships), and future professional outlook (developing new professional skills and directions, positive and negative future outlooks). The findings demonstrate these musicians’ resilience in spite of difficult circumstances, resulting in positive adaptations and personal growth.