Holding Patterns, Thinking and Art

In my previous post I was bemoaning (and perhaps grieving the loss of) my inclination to make collage. What started as an immense outpouring of something during 'the lost years' of Covid (Richmond, 2022) and a reconnection to art practices that had been long absent, has settled into a kind of holding pattern as I produce patterned ink drawings, one after the other.

In fact, it was a discussion with a colleague who used the term 'holding pattern' to describe the stage of the research project I am in, that made me draw the parallels with the kind of drawings I am producing at the moment. Although my most recent echoes back to an early collage entitled 'Embers in the Ash', and perhaps a reminder of the rewarding nature of this research project, and the distance travelled.
The holding pattern I am in is slow, iterative, repetitive. Gathering reading, reading, organising, forming ideas, re-reading. As I put it in my previous post, it feels like chewing. Chewing your way through a particularly chewy piece of sourdough bread. Sitting and chewing. Chewing and sitting.

Gut Instinct

Leaves

Draw the Line

An Ember in the Ash 2

An Ember in the Ash 1 (Collage)

The earlier part of this post was written some two weeks ago, and I return to the draft now that the data generation phase of the project has finally started, with the first Creative Methods workshop on Monday 19th February.

A participant asked me whether I felt tempted to join the group in making collage as part of the workshop. My initial thought was that I needed to be attentive as the facilitator, and doing work would take me away from that responsibility (and that is important!). However, the actual answer I gave was "Actually, I have had a bit of a hiatus from collage making and I am not quite sure why that is". My creative work has become small, tight, particular, laboured and absent of colour (apart from one gruesome pattern I entitled 'Gut Instinct' - see attached to this post). I have become reluctant to let go of rules, whilst becoming frustrated at my wish to cleave to the rules.

Interestingly, the key theme that emerged in the discussions during the Creative Methods workshop was about letting go of structure, having fun, and being playful in research. One participant commented that the disciplinary structures they had learned to operate in, no longer served a useful purpose when trying to find ways to excite and engage new learners in the discipline. They said they wanted to return to their younger self, taking risks and having fun and using this as a vehicle to engage others in their topic. 

Another participant remarked that they had excluded themselves and their positionality in discussions about the research topic, but that it was precisely these aspects of their identity that needed to be attended to to provide clarity and focus for the structure for a book proposal.

The focus on 'making the familiar strange' (Back to Brecht and his verfremdungseffekt...) resonated with others in the group, both in the context of approaching research problems (as well as 'problems with research'). The collage activity encouraged participants to step out and step back from the structures they were enculturated into. Akin to pressing the 'google earth' button, they looked down upon their research problems from a great height and, by doing so, became aware of their own looking, asking the questions, "Where am I in this?", or "What does this mean for me?". 

These may be new questions for those for whom research may be viewed through a positivist lens, but this too may be changing, as Jafar (2018) suggests:

Positionality is a positive and integral element of qualitative work because without contextualising the researcher and research environment, often the meaning of any research output is lost. What follows is that positionality does not undermine the truth of such research; instead, it defines the boundaries within which the research was produced.

...we all direct our research based on innumerable factors, most of which never make the page. This absence of positionality does not provide opportunity for the audience to decide how important these factors might be...

A workshop participant who was new to creative and arts-based activities asked me about what helps and hinders my art practice. I explained that creating art for someone, or some purpose (in the case of a commissioned piece, or perhaps in the context of a research project...!) is challenging because I always have in mind 'getting it right' for that context or person. My positionality in the artography element of this study seems to be getting in the way. I am starting to become a 'meta-artist' aware of my researcher self, directing my artist self.

So, what I will take away from a very enjoyable workshop (thanks to all those who took part!) is encouragement prompted by the fun and open attitude shown by my workshop participants. They left the 'rules' at the door in order to let their thinking blossom. Participants said they really welcomed the fun and space to play, and I feel very privileged to be able to create that space for them - and it was wonderful to learn about all the exciting and innovative research taking place at Warwick.

Therefore, it remains for me to break this holding pattern to take risks again. I will put away the ink pen, grab a canvas and some thick brushes and bright paints and leave the rules at the door.