Possible agentic mechanisms to reformulating one’s creative identity as a professional creator

In what ways do creators in non-artistic domains recognize and act upon their creativity, in mid-adulthood? This paper takes a developmental perspective combined with the socio-cultural lens to examine how Pro-c experts, in the mid-stage of their careers, view their creativity, and its relevance, in their work roles. Also, this study aims to identify possible new ways of understanding one’s creativity and how they become visible in professional choices. Previous research found creative thinking processes, commitment to creative activities and the expression of one’s feelings through creative outlets to play an important role in the formation of an adolescent’s identity. Based on the interviews with eight professionals in entrepreneurship, science, and engineering, one’s creative identity can be fluid and multiple in mid-adulthood, marked by moments of proactivity intertwined with the serendipity of interpersonal interactions, underlined by economic changes and multicultural living. In essence, this paper proposes a four-faceted nature of non-artistic creative identities, characterized by their dynamic expression, as an artistic skill, a passion, as creative thinking, or as resourcefulness. The fluidity is enabled by creative metacognition, which triggers agentic mechanisms towards new actions, in entrepreneurial, scientific, or expert roles.