In this paper, we ask how the corona pandemic affected a cohort of
former art school students. We have compared our findings with other
studies of the consequences of the pandemic for Nordic artists. Most of
our informants appeared less negatively affected by the pandemic than
predicted by previous studies. None of those who responded said that
they had left or considered leaving their professions, and none had
experienced a disastrous loss of income because of the pandemic.
Nevertheless, the pandemic affected the work and income situation of
freelance actors and musicians who normally perform for live audiences.
All the informants also responded that their workdays had changed
substantially, and that the pandemic had negatively affected their
well-being. Our qualitative study might contribute in detecting some
nuances that were less easily detectable through quantitative surveys,
e.g. that the pandemic did not substantially affect freelance actors in
film and media.