Review of Action research Interview – 1. Staff member at UAL – Graduate Assistant.
BC is an Assistant at UAL was a very insightful interview. For this I had a set of interview questions that I had prepared beforehand. With this being my first interview I was slightly nervous going into it, very much aware of my ethics and research method approach research such as the ‘Alvesson, M. (2012) ‘Title of article’, Views on Interviews: A Skeptical Review. In: Interpreting Interviews Pg 1-26’. I was very conscious of my interactions and influence in this interview as I wanted to remain objective however still encourage an open and relaxed conversation surrounding craft, community and wellbeing. To allow my participant to feel comfortable enough to express herself and experiences within this designated time.
Before the meeting began I sent the participant an information sheet explaining what my study was looking into, how I would go about carrying this study out and what effect this would have on the participant.
I began by re-introducing myself and my research question ”How can craft be used to cultivate community and wellbeing in higher education” to set the tone for the interview as well as confirming the key points of the participant information sheet and signed documents.
This was a very insightful interview that helped confirm relevant findings from my early research in defining my research question. The participant had also studied in her final year of university within the height of the pandemic and was able to express her experience of learning at such a crucial time in her academic journey, expressing feelings of isolation and what got her through such strenuous times. Such as engaging with being proactive and forming an online workspace with close members of the cohort community to motivate, share and support each other through their journey. As well as informal tutorials and sessions with their tutor through which her tutor shared with them personal projects she had been working on thus motivating them to share and be inspired for their own projects.
A highlight of the interview was hearing about how negative experiences due to lack of community inspired the participant to create Make along sessions carried out digitally during the pandemic to be continued in real life once restrictions had been loosened.
It was inspiring to get an understanding of how craft skill-sharing is used as a tool on bringing people together and as the participant mentioned across the different specialist areas of the course she describes how “when you do a craft activity like knitting stitching or weaving, for instance, it just allows you to open up like conversations happen a lot of deeper conversations…it kind of helps with anxiety and stuff as well.” Considering my own positionality and experiences of crafting in a group I would definitely agree with this as often you can become lost in the repetition and focused nature of the crafting method which works as a soothing meditative tool to calm the mind an area touched on by Claire Wellesley-Smith in her works more specifically in Wellesley-Smith, C. (2015) Slow Stitch – Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art. Batsford, UK. In this Wellesley-Smith explores Reflective and mindful practice in relation to wider everyday life describing “stitching and other textile techniques (Knitting and weaving) can create something called the ‘relaxation response’. This is a measurable state identified by Harvard Medical School Professor Herbert Benson that introduces a feeling of calm and is characterized by lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension… Many artists describe the sensation of being ‘in the zone’ when working – a happy place where the creative process is a smooth and reflexive experience.” Very satisfying to hear my participant describing the feedback of her sessions and experience of crafting in this way providing comfort in knowing my research was directed in the right direction.
I was also keen to understand the relationships between the students and their chosen techniques. Considering the cultural backgrounds of the groups and students what techniques did they choose to explore, were these influenced by their own cultural backgrounds how did they explore their own personal identities in their chosen craft? My participant did touch on this briefly, choosing to explore non-western techniques such as the Japanese Boro techniques rather than Darning which is commonly used in the west. Decolonising the methods considered in this way would help to make the session more inclusive and in turn expand the learning experience to allow space for students to explore beyond the boundaries and expectations.