Claire, the researcher, telephones one morning in the run up to Easter to firm up the day for our intended meeting and the recorded interview. ‘Hi…its…the person who’s been emailing you,‘ she says. She sounds friendly, business like, sensible.
We agree on the morning of the 15th April.
She asks whether I have any questions and I ask her how many other people have taken part so far. She gives me a figure – 18 – and explains that the research is being carried out using mixed methods. Some of the research is based on ticking boxes. However, this on its own doesn’t tell very much about the psychology of creativity. The only way to find out more is to actually get people to talk about their creative experiences. She has chosen a range of people to take part. Not only working and non working artists, but also people who do creative activities out of interest, and people involved in creative activities in community projects in order to get a range of creative experiences.
She also reassures me that because names will be changed when the material is transcribed, those taking part can speak in complete confidence. This means having the freedom to speak freely about creative experiences, as much as I want, for as long as I want. Most people, she says, because they have to think about it, gain an insight into their own creativity and practice.
We agree that I will send more detail about the location for our meeting to her via email. How will she get there? She has a driver, she says, who drives her everywhere. I have to say that I’m intrigued.
The holiday season is here. For me, this means spending time with family and friends. If you happen to be reading this in the holiday season then, I hope that you are enjoying a time of peace and relaxation. I also hope that you’re working on something creative and that it’s going well.
Happy Easter!
