The tutor feedback received for assignment four continued to be extremely useful as it caused me to take stock once more, to stop and think, to reflect upon my research process and the lack of self within that process. I must admit to rushing assignment four, of not enveloping myself fully enough within my own research processes. Due to ongoing time constraints based upon an increased demand centred upon the pandemic, covid-19, and change… time has been in short supply for research and making. I have realised that more mental effort has been afforded to my NHS roles and responsibilities than to my research process. In addition to this I have taken longer than expected to complete my creative work for the personal personalism course which meant that there has been a bit of a lag between my making and my research. That said more recently I have managed to secure studio space on eight consecutive weekends which enabled a recalibration between making and research. In accordance with my personal specialism proposal this has included wider and deeper investigation and experimentation with making and materials which has enabled me to be increasingly focused upon how my making informs my research, to increasingly personalise the narrative. Therefore, as advised by my OCA research tutor I plan to draw more links and parallels between my research and my own creative practice, to extend the personal reflective element.
Another way of adapting the information which you have gathered would be to link it more closely to your own practice and show how you can see the potential of the processes described in other areas. Don’t be afraid to offer your own points of view throughout the text and connect to examples of your work from Textiles 3: Personal Specialism. The key is to make links between all of the examples you give so that you develop a more personal narrative which identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the designers cited.
From completion of the creative processes for assignment four of the personal specialism course I plan to review the research undertaken to date to be more analytical in my appraisal of each artist-designer-maker. I aim to fully communicate why they were selected in the first instance, of their underlying environmental credentials and their intent to utilise environmentally friendly and supportive methodologies to create from nature using traditional or advanced technology fibres, fabrics and materials or from reuse for the person, home and the environment. As suggested by my OCA tutor I wish to explore some of the main driving forces (thought processes) behind the examples to look for commonalities and discrepancies, to compare and contrast and then to assimilate my findings in a personal conclusion. I am aware of the need to restructure my review and to rewrite my conclusion to make more space for my own personal reflections on the research process to date as well as my own practice, to acknowledge how my research has shaped my thinking and challenged my methods of working to fully evidence a stronger emphasis on self-reflection as outlined by my tutor as stated in the OCA Course Handbook.
Page 58 “The connections you make to and between sources, the strength of your analysis and the application of your findings to both your critical review and your practical textile work can open your mind to new possibilities”.
Page 60 “The conclusion is a key element of the critical review. Here you can reflect back on your proposal, and your introduction, to fully comment upon all the twists and turns the research took, any unexpected outcomes or realisations and any shifts in focus from the start of the research process to the end as well as including documentation of the strengths and weaknesses of your work as in your learning logs and self-evaluations in the past.
Finally, more time will be afforded to the presentation of the critical review in terms of the choice of font, layout, imagery and text with increased headings and subheadings to increase its overall appearance and readability.
WeavePrint 