The central theme of the research presented here is to understand the alternative processes of social insertion and the construction of identities among young people from working class backgrounds. It seeks to understand to what extent art and work are articulated, approached or opposed in the lives of young people, making it possible to affirm plural identities - personal, collective and social. To do this, it looks at the life trajectories of young people who have chosen art as a way of being in the world, of affirming their identity and building recognition for themselves. The research subjects are young people living in Porto Alegre and Viamao. The trajectories of these young people point to different paths taken during their youth, the conditions under which they make their art, the meanings that art and work have for them and their search for alternative paths to the conditions they encounter in their life trajectories.