Be right back: entrepreneurial identity under construction Narrative identity work of Slovenian creative entrepreneurs on social media

The purpose of this study was to contribute to a better understanding of the entrepreneurial identity work and entrepreneurial identity development of graphic designers and illustrators that are with their work present on social media platform Instagram. Social media has become a big part of our lives, especially those who actively present themselves and their work on these platforms to become more recognisable. Instagram is seen as a very powerful tool for visual artists such as illustrators and graphic designers to showcase their work, network with others, and to build a community. However, much about how these graphic designers and illustrators that belong to the creative sector develop their entrepreneurial identity while being present on Instagram or any other social media platform is not known. To get more insights into how the entrepreneurial identity is developed through narrative identity work over Instagram 15 qualitative interviews were conducted with illustrators and graphic designers based in Slovenia. The analysis shows that Slovenian graphic designers and illustrators must overcome different challenges when presenting themselves and their work on Instagram. Their stories on Instagram have changed over time and are now strategically developed. They are developing their entrepreneurial identity most actively when they need to put themselves out there and are in the process of becoming a brand. Becoming a brand on Instagram can be a struggle for graphic designers and illustrators, some of the most obvious pressures are showing themselves behind their brand and becoming an a kind of influencer, keeping their style and feed consistently to become recognisable, following Instagram trends to stay relevant and sudden changes in the Instagram algorithm. Slovenian illustrators and graphic designers are aware of the identity development processes and are very active in developing an entrepreneurial identity or rejecting it. The main reasons why Slovenian graphic designers and illustrators decide not to act entrepreneurially are due to lack of education about entrepreneurship in the Slovenian educational system and the fear of not declaring the taxes correctly due to an outdated tax system for small businesses in Slovenia. This research concludes that a better introduction to entrepreneurship in the early stage of education or later at the University and a better, more modern, and user-friendly tax system for small businesses could encourage Slovenian creatives to start creating a more confident entrepreneurial identity.