Creative Identity Development: Facilitators and Barriers that affect Eminent Australian Female Visual Artists

Creativity is a valuable, fundamental aspect of the human condition which can be personally and societally enriching. Although creativity-related research has extensively investigated the influence of cognitive ability and personality, there has been a comparative lack of emphasis on identity and self-concepts. Within this emerging area, still less is known about creative self-concepts in specific subgroups such as eminent creative women. This thesis addresses these gaps in the literature by exploring creative identity development, and facilitators and barriers to creativity, with a focus on 10 eminent Australian female visual artists using an exploratory qualitative approach informed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.