I’ve liked the idea of practice-based research for a long time, and been a supporter of people who do it. But I hadn’t realized that *I* did it, really.
In 2021 I was teaching a class about it and wanted a straightforward explanation of what it is, so I wrote one: ‘What is Practice-based Research?‘.
That led me to then consider, ‘Do *I* do practice-based research?‘. I hadn’t really thought that I do, but it turns out, I do.
A year later I wanted an even more compact and straightforward explanation, so I wrote ‘Practice-based research: A simple explainer‘.
(By the way we have a new practice-based PhD program at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University).
You can read a number of other articles about being a researcher filed under ‘Research practice‘.
Also, related to practice-based research, there’s this post from 2015: ‘Research Through Design #RTD2015 reflected in LEGO‘.
My new book ‘Creativity‘ (2022) is not a book about practice-based research, exactly, but at one point the book explains itself, improbably enough, as ‘a practice-based approach to practice’. It says:
But I also think – and I’m sure this must be right – that you should learn about creativity and creative processes by paying full and thoughtful attention to creative processes, which are abundant, and creative people, which, by the way, is everybody, although we’ve all taken different opportunities to express it.
It’s about listening – really listening – to creative people, and listening – really listening – to your own creativity. And this book is all about finding ways to think about doing creativity which will help with the actual doing. A practice-based approach to practice, based in the experiences of creative people doing creativity.
