Psychological capital, effort costs, and creativity: the trajectories of artistic careers

Abstract Why do some artists maintain a high level of productivity throughout their careers, while others experience bursts of creativity followed by burnout or stagnation? Existing explanations emphasize economic incentives and human capital but often overlook an artist’s ability to sustain effort over time. We introduce a conceptual framework centered on psychological capital—a stock of confidence, motivation, and resilience that accumulates in response to past creative work and evolves in response to emotional volatility, financial stress, and external feedback—as a dynamic factor in creative production that shapes long-term artistic productivity. By influencing the perceived effort cost of creative work, psychological capital helps explain why some artists enter self-reinforcing cycles of creativity while others disengage. While previous research has examined psychological capital in relation to workplace performance and well-being, its role in sustaining creative careers remains unexplored. We illustrate the framework’s predictions using historical case studies, offering insights for cultural policy and the economics of artistic labor. Although we focus on artists, our framework applies to other creative fields where motivation, external reinforcement, and financial stability shape long-term productivity.