Auto Ethnographic Inquiry

This is a fourteen week documentation of my research for my final thesis project. Ummm, well, in all honesty, it is a diary of facing my fears, literally and figuratively, by committing to draw my portrait in four distinct ways: metaphor [superhero animal], Distorted/Altered, Folk/Outsider Art inspired, and Extreme Close-Up, [realism], and document the events as they unfold. To some this may seem simple and straightforward (big whoop); however, for a person, like myself, that deals with severe, crippling self-esteem issues, this is a daunting task. However, the emotional investment is not nearly as important as the adventure/investigation and real life implications for my students. Adolescent students often fight similar self-identity issues. Inquiry: Does drawing self-portraits assist in developing a positive self-identity? Or is it merely an exercise in "looking" at yet another face?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Whittling Away

I am really having a tough time reducing my research into one concise question.  I know that my interest is in discovering what, if any, the drawing of self-portraits has on developing a positive, self-identity.  Much research has stated emphatically that children gain greater insight to personal identity when they render self-portraits.  Through the autoethnographic process, I hope to gain a great appreciation in "how" this occurs.  What factors come into play?  Is it the method of drawing that causes improved self, or is it the 'act' of looking at oneself, close examination that causes change?  What factors, what essential elements to 'drawing the self-portrait' affect the outcome of improved self-identity (actualized rather than perceived by others)? This is what I'm thinking about.  NOW to write a question. I have so far:

1. How might drawing self-portraits assist in developing a positive self-identity?
2. Does drawing the self-portrait have any effect [positive or negative] on self-identity [actualized individual, unique qualities rather than perceived self]?
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)