The multifocal lens is only good in your glasses!
It's been 3 weeks since I completed the research methodologies course, and I can't say I'm unhappy with the results! I got one of those letters from the University that I have only heard about "Excelling Outcome". I had held my breath and hoped, but I was still surprised by the grade I got for this paper. Both my supervisor and the lecturer told me "Your question is too big for the word count". They were both right. In my first draft, I was a whopping 1500 words to many, and it all looked important. While I was pondering how to slash and burn the words, someone I am mentoring suggested I take a look at a book by Betty Edwards (Draw with the rights side of your brain) and just like that things took a different shape. Quietly, I can say that this is morphing in my head all the time! And, the trouble with this is that the feeling of "never done" is slowly creeping back into my thinking. The more I read the less I know and this, makes focusing difficult.
So I pulled out my doodling book and pens to focus my mind. While I was doodling and waiting for results, my supervisor has been delivering to my inbox the most amazing reading suggestions and I wanted to share one in particular here. "Your Brain on Art, How the arts transform us" by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. This book is based on current research and is written in a way that is easy to read and almost comforting. It takes complex concepts like neuroscience and art and connects them in ways that feel familiar. Did you know that just 45 min of art engagement a month will be of great benefit to you? They say "When you tap into the arts to foster a meditative state the places in your brain responsible for judgment and personal criticism are quietened and you can access a more generous perspective-taking point of view" and " It turns out that doodlers are more analytical, retain information better and are better focussed than their non-doodling colleagues". Doodling has helped me time and time again to focus and I don't want to create a spoiler alert here, but you should hop online and read the reviews on this book, there is so much truth in it, we need more art in our lives!
With that paper finished and the results in, I am now working on my next step, which is getting the Graduate School of Research to progress my application.
My academic mentors asked me last night, "Do you know what the process is from here?" Not a clue.........
So we are working it out together and the word focus comes into play over and over again.
Focus on who your key audience will be
Focus on the position you come from
Focus on the problem you are exploring/resolving
Focus on the details in the process
Next steps? Work out the best way to work through a comprehensive Ethics review.
