Throughout my project I have tried to draw inspiration from a wide variety of sources. I often struggle to engage with academic writing, it’s density and complexity can lead me to struggle with concentration. I also find it hard to discover relevant texts and often feel unsure about what would be considered ‘reputable’ leading to an overly critical reading which doesn’t leave me open to learning. Through the PGCert I have come to understand that inspiration and relevance can be found in a very broad spectrum of places and fears about ‘reputable’ sources are unfounded.
As a result much of my reading has been of books which one might find in a local book shop, such as On Connection by Kae Tempest and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. These have not only been eminently readable, but have been crucial in helping me form the attitudes with which I have approached my research; ‘what am I researching’ and ‘why’? The ‘how’ has been where I have turned to more conventional academia, Visualizing Research: a Guide to the Research Process in Art and Design by Carole Gray and Julian Malins has been formative in helping me discover ways to analyse qualitative data (and helped me realise that well written academic writing can be very engaging!) whilst Best Practices in Quantitative Methods by Jason Osbourne led me to realise that distilling the creative actions within group work to quantitative data was a disservice to the beauty of the relationships and understanding formed by that work.
The facilitation of non-extractive relationships has led me to a diverse set of voices including feminist, queer, global majority, indigenous and arguably non-human authors. One book which has representations of all of these is Let’s Become Fungal!: Mycelium Teachings and the Arts by Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez which has lit a fire in me to learn more from indigenous thinking and practice to continue to build a more symbiotic relationship with my environment both in my own life and in what I teach.
I feel conscious that my bibliography does not include a great number of texts but I have attempted as much as possible to engage deeply rather than cast the net wide and take a surface understanding from many. Ultimately this has resulted in a series of avenues which I would like to pursue beyond the PGCert, readings and learnings which will have an impact on myself and hopefully therefore others around me. As has been referenced a number of times in my writings, the action research spiral in this case may be spiralling outwards rather than inwards, my Action Research Project forming a point of germination which will expand beyond its original goals.