Working in culture is not a phase. It is not an interval between two “real” jobs, nor a period of youthful experimentation that is abandoned once life demands stability. It is a professional choice—demanding, long-term, and often invisible—that involves knowledge, responsibility, and commitment over time.
The idea that cultural work is temporary has deep consequences. It legitimizes precariousness, normalizes low wages, justifies the absence of social protection, and feeds the expectation that those working in the field must always be ready to adapt, sacrifice, or start over. When it is assumed to be “just a phase,” the system stops worrying about creating conditions for people to remain.
For many professionals, the problem is not entering the sector but managing to stay. Growing older while working in culture remains a largely undiscussed challenge. Accumulated experience does not always translate into greater stability; on the contrary, it often means greater exhaustion, more responsibilities, and the same structural uncertainty. Many artists and cultural workers are pushed out—not because they lack talent or dedication, but because the model does not accommodate long-term careers.
Working in culture requires specific skills: critical reading, the ability to mediate, the management of complex processes, artistic sensitivity, and an understanding of political and social contexts. None of this is provisional. All of it is built through time, practice, and error. Treating this work as a phase is to devalue forms of knowledge that are fundamental to the functioning of the cultural ecosystem.
Recognizing that working in culture is not a phase is an essential step toward rethinking policies, funding models, and public expectations. It means accepting that this sector needs conditions for sustainable careers, not just initial enthusiasm. It also means respecting those who chose to stay—and who continue, despite everything, to make this work exist.
Photo: © Kazuo Ota | Unsplash
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