This study explores the interplay between autonomy and vulnerability among independent creative and professional workers, focusing on the role of movement practices. Through interviews and diary studies with 53 independent workers in the United States, we identify how bodily movement serves as both a tool for productivity enhancement and a source of personal well-being. Workers employ movement practices—such as walking, yoga, and strength training—to improve mental focus, emotional stability, and physical resilience while addressing vulnerabilities like isolation, body breakdown, and creative stagnation. These practices reflect a dual purpose: enhancing labor efficiency and offering restorative, communal, and pleasurable experiences. The findings highlight the inherent tension in movement practices as both self-extractive, driven by neoliberal productivity ideals, and transcendent, enabling connection and healing. We conclude by emphasizing the complex dynamics of independence in contemporary labor and the necessity of holistic approaches to worker well-being within precarious economic systems.
