In February or March, I started playing with cyanotypes on fabric. Doing cyanotypes in winter in Minnesota is… not the easiest thing to do, but I was just experimenting, playing around.

Over a period of several months, I kept experimenting with different natural materials, different weather conditions, different exposure times. And then, somehow, my cyanotypes worked their way into my dissertation work.

That’s the way this whole arts-based researcher thing has gone. My creative practices become part of my academic work. This is awesome, because I can bring my creative self to my academic work. This is not awesome, because it can be hard to separate creative work from academic work.

I’m looking forward to this dissertation being done so I can make something without it being for my dissertation.