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This thesis examines the material conditions of artists: their working, living and studio provision in the context of contemporary London. It prioritises the lived experience of artists through interviews with 31 artists from three not-for-profit studio providers undertaken between 2017-2018. These narratives show how the ability of artists to create artworks has been inhibited and diminished by the amount of time artists need to spend working in other jobs to survive in an expensive city. The thesis describes how artists now frequently need to work five days a week in a well-paid job in order to survive, often doing their artwork at the weekends. In a profession where low pay and wage inequality are endemic, artists are struggling to survive, and this affects the demographics of who is able to become an artist and forge an artistic career. It analyses how artists 'pay double': paying for both studio space and accommodation (as well as artist materials). The interviews clarify that it is becoming harder to get and afford a studio; many are closing and getting smaller and more expensive, with 'new build'studios catering not just for artists but the wider creative community, thus further decreasing the studio space specifically for artists. Not-for-profit studio providers try to keep studio costs affordable for artists, but often have insecure tenure at the studio buildings with leasing amounts increasing year-on-year. Artists can no longer afford to have studio space, let alone live, in the inner city. Finally, the thesis draws on the interviews to analyse artists' perspectives on whether to stay in or leave London: the 'push and pull' factors in their thoughts on whether to stay or to go. Has London now become so inhospitable to struggling, low waged artists that they cannot afford to live in the city anymore? Is the vibrant artistic scene in London a thing of the past and other places are now more realistic and desirable options for forging an artistic career? Through these interviews and their analysis, the thesis therefore builds on existing areas of concern, extending existing work on creative labour and artists' experience, by showing how a new stage of difficulty has been reached.

Background: Unlike more general consideration of caring relationships, the important experience of the time patients and students share together in mental health services has not been specifically explored before. This study was focused on student nurses within medium secure personality disorder placements for men. Students represent the present and future of nursing, often having greater patient contact than registered nurses, and this is appreciated by patients. Methodology: Interpretive Hermeneutic Phenomenology was the underpinning philosophy of this research, woven throughout; with the aim of exploring the participants' lived experiences and illuminating present phenomenon/s, with reflexivity central to the process. National Health Service and university ethical approval was granted. Seven patients and five student mental health nurses participated in unstructured interviews. Findings: Three themes were illuminated. Everyday stuff with three subthemes; 'Just being around'; 'Having a laugh'; and 'The way you speak to people is important'. Balance with three subthemes; Recognition: 'We're just people' and they're the same as us; Identities: 'More like us'; and Weathering the ride: 'Sponges' to holder of keys. The third overarching theme Impact has three subthemes; Time; Having value and feeling valued: 'Damn well not useless now' and The landscape. The findings illuminate that when students and patients shared time together they were being-with in their own time and space, where they shared an experience of togetherness, enabling them to feel that they were 'just people' and valued, which had lasting impact. Interpersonal connections created a bubble, despite experiences of thrownness into the world and landscape, or the bearing of diagnostic labels. Together, the participants engaged in the mundane everyday, sharing activities, connecting over common interests and having a laugh. Reciprocal identities of teacher and learner were obtained within shared experiences of being assessed. The time students and patients shared together was a gift, powerfully impacting on their sense of humanness, value and worth. Students experienced a balance between therapeuticness (leaping-ahead) and professionalism (leaping-in). Therapeuticness involved an all-encompassing, supportive and humane approach via everyday being-with, creating a bubble and enabling recognition. Professionalism encompassed risk aversion, restricting identities and roles, and power constructs. A balance was struck through innovative practices and patient involvement. The landscapes of secure settings, housed the pivotal panoptical eye of the staff office, sucking in staff and blowing patients away. Students were immune to the vacuum of the office and were viewed as 'sponges'. Students were available, had time, were learners and not paid; elements not fully present for other staff due to set roles. Students can become holder of keys on becoming staff, however, can 'weather the ride' by focusing on the everyday mundane, being-with and connecting with patients to create bubbles. Conclusion: This study is a call to all to foster the mundane, the everyday and recognise the humanity in others. Student nurses can balance therapeuticness and professionalism, be themselves, have a laugh with patients, connect over shared interests and make bubbles. This study is a message of hope for people residing in often dehumanising settings, who may have experienced thrownness, trauma and othering, that they can experience humanity and have worth and value.

The PhD study provides an assessment of TV production work in context, examining the impact of the consolidation of the independent television sector on the experience of work. The recent consolidation of the sector in the UK has led to the emergence of super independent television production companies, more commonly known as 'super indies'. Super indies are organisations formed by multiple takeovers, grouping together independent television producers into larger companies. Whilst the rise of super indies is well-documented, the realities of work in super indies have yet to be explored. The thesis addresses this gap by assessing the impact of the super indie institutional structure on the experience of work in television production. Based on an in-depth case study of a Welsh super indie, Oaks Productions Ltd (Oaks), the research draws on 63 semi-structured interviews with both Oaks' managers and employees to evaluate the experience of work in this context. In doing so, the research investigates firstly, how the nature of television production work is impacted by key features of the super indie structure in the Welsh context, and secondly, how creative work is experienced in this setting. Fundamental to the study is the identification of a creative worker typology, relating to the ability of creative workers to access and mobilise a variety of different resources to navigate creative work in this setting. Finally, the thesis explores the meaning of television work, highlighting the important role of individual creative work features, as well as social, relational and non-work factors in the experience of meaningful work. The thesis contributes to the TV production literature, illustrating the diversity of TV production experiences in a single organisational context. Moreover, it contributes to the creative labour literature by demonstrating the entrenched power hierarchies in creative work settings, and the importance of embedded resources in shaping the experience of television production work.

It is well recognised that military-related trauma can have significant effects on military personnel and veterans. There has been considerable research interest in the burden of mental health, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in military personnel. However, whilst living in close proximity to individuals with PTSD can contribute to a phenomenon known as ‘secondary traumatisation’ in the offspring, the effects of military fathers’ mental health on their children and family has largely been overlooked. In this conceptual introduction, we aim to better understand the effects of PTSD on the wellbeing of military offspring and review previous literature relevant to understanding the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of trauma. The impact of PTSD on veterans’ offspring are varied, manifesting in behavioural, social, psychological and emotional difficulties. Research regarding the intergenerational transmission of war-related PTSD is mixed and remains in its infancy. Outside of military populations, various mechanisms and theories have been proposed to explain the direct and indirect pathway of transmission. Given that research suggests that PTSD does not solely affect the individual, but has implications for the family unit and offspring, further research is necessary to understanding this complex interplay between the psychopathology of the veteran father, the child and their characteristics and mechanisms underlying secondary traumatisation. This has important implications if the mechanisms are amenable to early intervention and remediation.

Continuing bonds theory suggests that bereaved parents can adapt to the loss of their child by sharing and transforming mental representations of the child, allowing them to be integrated into parents’ everyday lives and support systems. Few studies examine continuing bonds following stillbirth, and little is known about the potential mental health benefits of expressing continuing bonds. Most studies focus on parent-baby contact and memory-making activities in the immediate aftermath of the loss. Findings are inconclusive although there is evidence that sharing memories of the baby is related to better maternal mental health. Therefore, this project explored how parents continued bonds with their stillborn baby longer term, and investigated any association between key aspects of the relationship, parents’ perceptions of social support for the relationship, and bereavement adaptation. A mixed methods design was employed. In Study 1, 12 parents were interviewed. Data analysis was informed by grounded theory and the constant comparative method applied. In Study 2, parents (N = 170) completed an online questionnaire examining engagement in continuing bonds expressions over time; characteristics of the relationship and parents’ experience of sharing it; social support, and meaning-making. Measures of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and posttraumatic growth were also included to quantify bereavement adaptation. Results showed the creative strategies employed by parents to maintain connections with their baby; the affective depth and potentially interactive nature of bonds; and the enduring, pervading influence of the relationship on parents’ ongoing lives. How the relationship was expressed changed over time. Parents appreciated sharing their relationship with their baby with compassionate others. Generally, partners, family members and friends understood and supported parents’ relationship with their baby. However, over half of parents stated that some family members and friends did not support the relationship. Few parents believed the relationship was expected or widely understood in society, and social support for it tended to fade over time. Most parents thought the relationship aided coping. Regression analyses showed that time since death, meaning-making, engaging with nature and legacy building are positively linked to parents’bereavement adaptation. Risk factors included inadequate social support for the relationship, a greater desire to share it more freely, an increased sense of integration with baby, and societal pressure to move on. For the first time this project shows that key aspects of parents’ ongoing relationship with their stillborn baby, and parents’ perceptions of the social context in which they experience the relationship are related to bereavement adaptation. A social context that fails to fully accommodate parents’ relationship with their baby may be contributing to poorer outcomes. Moreover, results indicate the therapeutic potential of nature following stillbirth. Recommendations for care and the development of a nature-based intervention are proposed.