Experiences of belonging to the creative economy: narratives from northern micro-entrepreneurs

The present study reports on how creative and cultural micro-entrepreneurs experience belonging to the local creative economy or whether they identify more with the creative place brand. Furthermore, the study focuses on the micro-entrepreneurs' social embeddedness in the entrepreneurial process comprising social structures and entrepreneurial networks. We conducted phenomenological interviews with four entrepreneurs representing the areas of heritage, art, design, and creative services and utilized Wenger's community of practice approach as a lens in the narrative analysis. Theoretically, the study contributes to both place branding and entrepreneurship research. When analyzing how the entrepreneurs perceived their sense of belonging to the creative economy it was obvious that entrepreneurship as such was not the primary feature defining their identity. The micro-entrepreneurs did not associate themselves or their enterprises with the creative place brand. They did not refer to themselves as entrepreneurs but described themselves as artists or art lovers.