The idea of using freewriting in my workshop emerged from both classroom observation and group tutorial feedback. During an ARP tutorial, Kuljeet Sibia encouraged me to think about belonging not only as a concept but as something embodied and spatial. They suggested body mapping and considering methodology in relation to safety in public or institutional spaces. This could allow students to articulate feelings of belonging, exclusion or unfamiliarity in ways that move beyond abstract discussion.
Kuljeet also asked how I intend to assess belonging. Rather than relying solely on formal data collection, they suggested one-to-one conversations and active listening as part of the method. They reminded me that the ARP has a realistic scope; I do not need to generate large datasets, but can instead reflect critically on the ethical tensions involved in researching students’ experiences of belonging. The possibility of running the workshop in a space such as the ICA was also raised, which shifts the enquiry into a live institutional context rather than keeping it contained within the classroom.
John O’Reilly extended this thinking by suggesting photo or object elicitation. Students could bring an image that gives them a sense of belonging, or one that expresses how they feel in particular institutional or industry spaces. Freewriting and image-making within a gallery setting, such as the ICA or Tate, could create a productive interplay between environment, memory and reflection. Importantly, John emphasised that the activity must hold value for students, not simply serve the research. This strengthens the ethical grounding of the project. We discussed beginning with feelings and lived experience, then later linking these reflections to industry and professional identity.
While these ideas are compelling, observing Hayleigh Longman’s use of freewriting in a tutorial confirmed its immediate pedagogic value. Students responded with honesty and depth when given structured time to write without interruption or evaluation. For this reason, I plan to use freewriting as the core method, situating it within a gallery environment and incorporating elements of image elicitation as suggested by Kuljeet and John.
Freewriting was popularised by Peter Elbow in Writing Without Teachers (1973), where he describes it as writing continuously for a set period without stopping, editing or self-censoring. He argues that regular freewriting reduces anxiety and strengthens authentic voice. Julia Cameron later brought similar practices into creative mainstream culture through The Artist’s Way (1992), advocating daily “morning pages” as a way of bypassing internal criticism.
In the context of this workshop, freewriting becomes more than a creativity exercise. It offers a low-stakes method for students to explore their relationship to institutional and industry spaces. Writing without interruption may surface tensions around confidence, belonging and professional identity that structured discussion can inhibit. Conducting the activity within a gallery setting may further heighten students’ awareness of their embodied presence within cultural institutions.
Rather than measuring belonging quantitatively, this approach prioritises reflective insight, dialogue and ethical attentiveness. The workshop therefore becomes both a pedagogic intervention and a space for observing how students narrate their place within the industry over time.
Bibliography
Cameron, J. (1992) The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. New York: Tarcher.
Elbow, P. (1973) Writing Without Teachers. New York: Oxford University Press.