Enhancing Artist Sustainability Through Circular Economy, Digital Enablers, and Finance

ABSTRACT Despite the growing academic interest in sustainability in creative sectors, there is limited empirical research on the interactions between financial access, circular economy, and digital enablers and the long‐term business sustainability of individual artists operating in the new economies. To fill this gap in the Chinese context, the current research focused on the direct relationship between financial access, digital technologies, and the practices of a circular economy and the business sustainability of artists, as well as exploring the mediating role of Creative Innovation Capacity and the moderating role of Policy and Institutional Support. Being grounded in theories of sustainability‐oriented creativity and innovation, the data had been collected from a structured online survey from 373 professionals working in key Chinese creative centers. The data had been analyzed by using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM) for assessing the proposed relationships. Based on the theories of sustainability‐oriented creativity and innovation, we collected information from 373 professionals working in key Chinese creative centers in a structured online survey and analyzed the data with the help of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM). Findings suggest that financial access, digital enablers, and practices in the circular economy have a significant positive impact on Creative Innovation Capacity that strengthens the long‐term sustainability performance of artists. Creative Innovation Capacity is therefore a strategic ability, whereby financial and technological wealth is transformed into plausible artistic professions. In addition, the positive impact of Creative Innovation Capacity on sustainability results is enhanced by the existence of favorable policy and institutional processes, thus highlighting the critical importance of governance processes to foster sustainable, socially responsible creative ecosystems. This research will provide new empirical data on artist‐level sustainability in non‐Western contexts and convey practical advice to policymakers, cultural organizations, and creative practitioners who intend to include innovation, circularity, and institutional support in their strategies of sustainable creative development.