Failure: A Heuristic Inquiry of the Experience of Failure Through a Nature Based Art Therapy Process
Graduation Date
2022
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Project Type
Qualitative Study
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Art Therapy
Program
Art Therapy
Program Director
Lisa Hinz, PhD ATR-BC
First Reader
Arnell Etherington Reader, PhD ATR-BC
Second Reader
Richard Carolan, EdD ATR-BC
Abstract
The aim of this arts based study was to investigate the experience of failure during the dissertation process. Through a heuristic lens, its objective was to gain an understanding of the tacit experience of failure and the influence of a nature art based process on the understanding of failure. Failure is integral to the scientific method (Wang et al. 2019), enhancing understanding and teaching us valuable skills. Intentional engagement with our response to failure allows us to address and incorporate possibilities that are often unseen (Nelson et al., 2017). The art process illuminates tacit knowledge, unearthing creative solutions and untapped possibilities (Joseph, 2006; Manthe & Carolan, 2017). The process of creating art in nature welcomes curiosity and provides containment for the expression of emotional experiences (Berger & Lahad, 2013). The study was guided by Andy Goldsworthy’s process of making collaborative art pieces with nature to incorporate the process of taking risks and utilizing failure (Malapas, 2005). An elite sampling of art therapists engaged in a nature based art process inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy and the open studio process (Allen, 2016). The art therapists, along with the researcher, focused on a failure they encountered during their dissertation and engaged in a nature art process and narrative reflection. The intentional immersive depth of heuristic inquiry supported the illumination of tacit knowledge and unique contributions to the understanding of failure.