Practising Well: Conversations & Support Menu

 
Text based title which reads Practsing Well Conversations and support menu. 3 logos presenred in a line represent the Arts and Humanties and Research Council, Clore Leadership and Robert Gordon University

January 2022 (updated September 2022)

My new research Practising Well: Conversations & Support Menu* - has now been published (links below) and builds upon my Artists Practising Well report from 2019. This is a critical time to be developing research and practice which is focused on providing affective support for creative practitioners working in participatory arts. 

My central research question for this report is:

  • What are the key challenges to mainstreaming the ‘affective support’ conversation within participatory arts?

This central question was supported by three areas of investigation. Firstly, what evidence-based information is needed to facilitate conversations around affective support between the stakeholders of this work? Secondly, when should these conversations within the various project models take place? Thirdly, how is affective support to be resourced, and who has responsibility for this? In addition to exploring these questions I have included an updated glossary to aid a shared understanding of common terms.

I invite you to:

  1. Read the research: Full report, summary or view a slide presentation

  2. Send me an email with your thoughts and reflections on the research, or connect with me on twitter or linkedIn

  3. View recordings from a series of Practising Well Conversations from spring 2022 and read my reflective blog about the dicussions.

In the report literature review I explore Wellbeing at Work, Precarity and Needs, Reflective Practice in People-orientated professions, Types and Methods of Affective support, and a range of associated materials. A combination of focus groups and semi-structured interviews led me to discussions that explore the impact of isolation and precarity, the symbiotic relationship between instrumental and affective support, the role of consultation and choice and an awareness of barriers to accessing affective support. I make eight recommendations under the following headings: Supporting, Promoting, Collaborating, Planning, Learning, Guiding, Evaluating and Developing. 

If you are a creative practitioner you may be interested in:

If you are an organisation, funder or policy maker you may be interested in my consultancy services:

  • If you work in an organisation I can help you review your current support offer for creative practitioners, and design new programmes of support and evaluation activities. I can also offer coaching, mentoring and action learning to the creative practitioners you work with and the teams that support them. Please get in touch if this is of interest.

  • If you are a funder or policy maker I can help you reflect on your current position regarding practitioner support and help you identify changes for quick implimentation and plan for longer term work.

If you would like to read the Artists Practising Well Report (2019) please click here

*The Practising Well: Conversations & Support Menu research project was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council via Clore Leadership. The research supervisor was Chris Fremantle, Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University.

The Practising Well: Conversations & Support Menu research project was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council via Clore Leadership.

 
Nicola Naismith