Duality

Thoughts about art, writing, and qualitative research

Sometimes it seems I am chased by an idea.

Recently, at Miami’s excellent Perez Art Museum, I chatted with Angela Bolanos, a Honduran-born, Miami-based multidisciplinary artist (see image below). She talked to my husband and me about the dual nature of her art: it is both intuitive and intentional. Depending on her mood and motivation, she may be exploratory in her process or aim for a particular result.

Shortly thereafter, I read an Ira Glass forward to a book of nonfiction writing, where he makes the case that great reporting conveys both the story and the big ideas.

Maybe everything is linked; maybe everything has a dual nature. But still, these encounters inspired me to think about qualitative research and my role as moderator and reporter. In the field, I am particularly conscious of the intentional in my work: capturing the story that answers the questions my client has put before me. And, of course, because this is qualitative, I remain open to seeing and claiming the intuitive paths that emerge before me. These unexpected paths often lead to some of the biggest ideas that we uncover.

I’m reminded of William Veeder, a University of Chicago literature professor who taught me to think more about the “so what.” Being interesting, being true to the learning is not enough; one needs also to explore and articulate the meaning of what we have found.

As researchers, we must embrace both the intuitive and the intentional, report both story and ideas. We must ask not only what did we learn, but also, why does this matter?

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On my nightstand, thanks to Fort Lauderdale’s wonderful Old Florida Bookshop: The New Kings of NonFiction, edited and introduced by Ira Glass, Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith, and Budapest, a small book of photographs by Tamas Revesz.

Recently read: Hernan Diaz’s Trust, which won the Pulitzer for fiction and is a master class in storytelling.

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Can we work together? Please contact me about the questions that are nagging you about your product, service, or customers: vivian@vmhqualitative.com.