Journal of Writing in Creative Practice - Volume 4, Issue 2, 2011

This article describes a series of workshops that documented and analysed art and design students' use of drawing and visual strategies within the written 'critical studies' modules at North Wales School of Art and Design, part of Glyndwr University. Hybrid forms of expressing knowledge and understanding were explored. The aim was to find ways to foster critical thinking that organized information, vocabularies and ideas in a more visual way.

This article focuses on my own practice and experience of teaching in the performing arts to examine how reflection could be used as a tool for facilitating learning in a way that does not construct practice and theory as distinct or opposing binaries. In it I argue that the superficial nature of the boundary between practice and theory often traps creative and performing arts students in a mindset that militates against critical and analytic writing as they struggle to make connections between their studio practice and wider theoretical contexts. Consequently, the article draws primarily on Maziar Raein's argument for a 'cohesive framework for knowledge' that recognizes the inter-relatedness of theory and practice in knowledge formation to argue that practice and theory operate along a continuum of knowledge. The article equally considers Paul Kleiman's argument about the centrality of the creative process in bridging the perceived gap between practice and theory within the creative and performing arts. Finally, I discuss the use of 'reflective breaks' in my teaching on the performing arts programme at Swansea Metropolitan University as a way of deconstructing the artificial boundaries between practice and theory.

This article reassesses the traditional requirement of a written dissertation for the awarding of an Honours degree classification within UK art schools, in the light of the academic principle of student inclusivity. It proposes an alternative, what is here termed a visual dissertation, equally rigorous as the written form, but structured as a visually driven argument, in which images take the lead, supported by text, an arrangement more suited to dyslexic students and students with a predominantly visual/wholist cognitive style. This article reviews several strategies for structuring such a presentation, and is illustrated with case studies of students from the Faculty of Art and Design at Swansea Metropolitan University. It is followed by a review of the case studies and re-evaluation of the hypothesis that underpins this research.

We are often writing about, to excavate meanings, seeking to discover from the post of production in media and design; however, the initiating development stages of production can reveal much of the study of the arts. Across media the writer engages with the various stages of production at different times and in different ways, so how may storytelling and scriptwriting reveal the distinctiveness of form for one medium amongst many? This study will explore the processes of creative writing used in the transmedia development of The Fallow Narratives, to expose, explain and consider our understandings of other modes of communication from their (often) textual beginnings.

This article draws on the idea of the elusive obvious as a useful way of examining how creative arts practitioners can make sense of their practice through expressive writing. Defining the elusive obvious as that ethereal aspect of creative arts practice that is often palpable to the practitioner but equally hard to pin down within the creative process, the article argues that expressive writing enables the creative practitioner to engage with their practice in insightful ways that integrate theoretical insights and help to reveal the elusive obvious, which in turn gives life to what is being explored. It examines ways in which expressive writing could be used to facilitate practitioners' experience of their creative practice and facilitate a better appreciation of the interconnectedness of practice (doing) and theory (critical reflection and analysis) in the creative arts. The article draws on discussions on practice as research to highlight the distinction between 'writing out' and 'writing up'; where 'writing out' calls attention to the idea of 'searching' within the creative process, while 'writing up' is firmly located in the recording and documentation phase of that practice. It argues that it is within this process of 'writing out' - of searching - that the elusive obvious can be revealed. The article also illustrates how reflective practice/writing can be understood through drama. It examines how reflective practice/writing can often lead to 'eureka' moments when, by personalizing their practice within the creative working environment, practitioners suddenly discover the elusive obvious. Through the ideas explored in this article, we invite a consideration of how expressive writing can act as a vehicle through which meaning could be found. This article argues, therefore, that expressive writing is not an end in itself, but is exploratory and transient in nature, and a rich terrain for the elusive obvious to be revealed.

This article looks at issues surrounding the academic dissertation within the particular context of the Art and Design school. To begin with, questions of objectivity and authorial voice are examined, suggesting that current practice does little to foster student identity. A discourse framework is then established largely based on the work of Bruner, with exposition and narrative posited as the primary problem-solving modes. This discursive framework is then transposed into the visual domain, where several possible discourse structures are suggested. A case study is offered that highlights the benefits that can be gained from the use of a visual dissertation. In the conclusion we argue for educators to consider these alternative modes of discourse.

This short manifesto was written with input from Chris Glynn (UWIC), Desdemona McCannon (MMU) and Harriet Edwards (RCA) in response to a collaborative writing workshop facilitated by Julia Lockheart (Goldsmiths, University of London) at Swansea Metropolitan University in 2011. During the workshop we became very animated with the idea of images being downtrodden and being seen as lacking in 'rigour' as a contribution towards critical discourse. The large sheet of paper we were using to develop ideas was covered in Chris's comic drawings of generals marching, people with loudspeakers and the like (see Visual Essay, P**). The manifesto, although two of it authors are illustrators, does not use images to proclaim it's message, as images are largely mute, but it is full of visual language. We tried to condense ideas into metaphors as much as possible, and kept the statements pared back and minimal. The tone of the manifesto was generated by the spirit of the collaborative discussion we had had. As I wrote the first draft later the same day, it was infused with Chris's wit and humour and Harriet's insistence on the importance of visual thinking. Later Chris and I refined it to its present form.