Here is the detailed analysis of Method 2: Metaphorical Self-Portrait Intervention, based on the data collected from students’ self-portrait drawings, their verbal reflections, and further analysis of the observations and themes at play.
Research Design Overview: For the second Metaphorical self-portrait method, students were asked via email prior to our tutorial to bring in a drawing that represented how they saw themselves as an artist on the course. The drawing could reflect their artistic development or how they saw themselves as a creative at this point. This method was employed as an initial icebreaker during a 30-minute one-to-one tutorial held online via Teams in an otherwise structured tutorial programme. The photo served as a gateway to initiating deeper conversations more quickly about their emotional and artistic state, with follow-up questions exploring themes such as sense of belonging, connection, and personal experiences.
Data collected: Looking at both some Students Visual and dialectic responses together:
Student 1: Image of a Kitten
- Explanation: The student depicted a kitten, with the addition of rivets on the figure. The kitten represents the student’s artistic state—adorable but flawed, symbolic of their confusion and desire for more technical skills.
- Quote: “I think I am a kitten- this is about one of my projects where I made a helmet. He looks adorable but actually there are some rivets. I feel a little confused. Teachers don’t teach us the skills in oil painting techniques as I expected. I have more to explore – in how to use materials. I also really like photography.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student acknowledges feeling confusion in their practice, noting that they feel a gap in their technical skills, particularly in oil painting, which they had expected to be a more prominent part of the curriculum. The mention of a love for photography suggests a personal interest outside the main teaching focus.
Student 2: Abstract Metaphorical Representation of Life
- Explanation: This student’s self-portrait symbolized different areas of their life, exploring emotions and human understanding. The disorganized nature of the image represented their internal chaos and the struggles faced, particularly during their late arrival at UAL.
- Quote: “This image is metaphorical- areas of my life- I am interested in emotions and human understanding- not in an observational way but as an expressive tool you can’t express by words- in its sensations. I am Drawing my life- my days when I was young as an easy tool – a starting point of my approach. There is no order or symmetry in my self-portrait- I’m not lost but I had visa problems when I started at UAL- so I was late and I am starting to grasp the system- it has been chaotic but I like it.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student reflects on their life journey as chaotic, from their late arrival due to visa issues to their evolving understanding of the system at UAL. The lack of order in the drawing mirrors their experience of being behind but also highlights a positive outlook on adapting to the new environment.
Student 3: Self-portrait of Artistic Growth
- Explanation: The self-portrait represents the student’s journey of growing out of rigid, perfectionist habits and embracing more experimental artistic practices. It shows how their work has evolved, becoming more expressive and messy.
- Quote: “This self-portrait is about growing out- and learning new things- developing a lot more than what my work was- it was rigid and not expressive of my self- gives you a chance to discover your own Artistic identity- gaining confidence now in crits, they’re really insightful and we understand that people have really insightful things to say. In week one- no one wanted to hurt anyone else’s feelings and we have realised as we have gone on that everyone wants to develop their work and it’s not bad to be critical, it can be productive, especially the more comfortable we get with one another.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student reveals how they have evolved from a perfectionist mindset to embracing creative freedom and experimentation. Their reflection about group critiques highlights their growing comfort with constructive criticism and the value of learning from others.
Student 4: Pencil Drawing of a Girl
- Explanation: The self-portrait in pencil depicts a girl who is “waving but drowning,” symbolizing the tension between feeling overwhelmed by the course and the small victories they achieve in moments of flow.
- Quote: “Here I am waving but drowning- waving on the surface but it’s actually quite difficult. I am not doing anything I’m proud of. The drawing is made on the book I am reading which I did on the tube- the girl with all the gifts the books called. It’s weird, she’s locked in an army base- its peculiar. That’s probably what state I was in when I was doing it. I think there is so much in what the work means- the internal process is important for me- I am a lot more open, even if what I am looking at is not my cup of tea, I now understand that knowing the context is helping you to understand differently.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student describes their experience of struggling with feelings of being overwhelmed, yet recognizing the importance of internal reflection. The reference to their book during the drawing suggests how their personal life and thoughts influence their artistic process.
Student 5: Self-portrait with Green and Pink Explosions
- Explanation: This student’s self-portrait features a figure with contrasting splashes of green and pink, symbolizing the tension between two places—emotionally and physically—such as their homesickness and new experiences in art.
- Quote: “Because a lot of my art is about having left home- I come from southern Spain- there is a sense of nostalgia of the old home, I have got purple in the corner of the self-portrait- here I am running from what was better, there is two places at once, it’s a positive outlook on it. I am enjoying it, hard at times, I did a technical Rigid Bachelorette, so right now the course is offering so much freedom. Now I can make it my own, which is as beautiful as it is challenging.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student reflects on their homesickness and the juxtaposition of being in two emotional places, representing the past (their home in Spain) and the present (their new experiences in the course). They acknowledge the challenges but also see the freedom in their new work and growth as an artist.
Student 6: Geometric Charcoal Face
- Explanation: The student’s drawing represents their chaotic artistic style, using quick, spontaneous strokes to create an unrefined but authentic self-portrait.
- Quote: “I liked making this portrait with quick lines just then, because that is what I like to do most. I am finding out how I like to do art through the course, it feels chaotic in pace but in a fun and exciting way. What was challenging was the recent project with more time to complete, because whilst I am starting to make links, its more stressful because it feels more important and what I want to do.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student expresses their preference for fast, energetic creation, finding joy in the chaotic pace of their artistic journey. However, they also reveal the stress that comes with slower projects, indicating a desire to quickly make progress and find their artistic voice.
Student 7: Drawing of a Bucket
- Explanation: The bucket, shaded to feel round, symbolizes the student’s feelings of being ‘half full,’ signifying their ongoing journey of learning and adapting. It also relates to their experience with Moodle and understanding course structures.
- Quote: “This is how I feel right now, it is half full but I haven’t found my way, I enjoyed painting because it is where I feel most comfortable and the medium I’m most comfortable with, I did like drawing and conceptual practice, I liked being given the freedom with charcoal, I like drawing with charcoal. The bucket also is to do with Moodle and workflow, I have come to understand it more. It’s a full bucket because its collecting information and ways of working.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student’s reflection reveals their current state of growth and learning. The image of a “half full” bucket reflects both their existing knowledge and the ongoing process of filling up with new information and skills. They express comfort with painting but openness to other mediums, showing their adaptability.
Student 8: Floating Figure Over a Landscape
- Explanation: The student created a figure of a spaceman floating over alien figures, symbolizing their feelings of being disconnected yet bold in pursuing art. The figure represents their interest in space and physics, as well as their experience of beginning the course amidst personal challenges.
- Quote: “In my work I usually use the spaceman figure- I did the aliens behind because there are a lot of new people I don’t know. When I was young I used to think people were aliens. I would add lots of people into quite a small space. I like space and physics, I’m interested in it. I like the space suit because it’s a hidden representation, but it’s something that humanity did that was bold despite not being able to see their identity. Pursuing Art is a bold thing to do I think. It feels exciting despite people, there is a jumble of lots of things happening. After a week of me starting the course my mum got diagnosed with cancer, so starting something new with mum too is challenging.”
- Verbal Reflections: The student reflects on their artistic use of the spaceman figure, representing their sense of distance from others, but also their boldness in pursuing art. They also express how personal challenges, such as their mother’s cancer diagnosis, complicate their transition into the course but also add depth to their experience.
Analysis of Data from Method 2: Thematic Analysis of Drawings and Verbal Responses:
- Emotional Expression and Artistic Identity: Many students depicted their internal emotional states through symbolic imagery, using metaphors like “half full,” “floating,” or “waving but drowning.” These metaphors indicate a strong connection between their personal struggles and their evolving artistic identity. The use of chaotic, abstract, or fragmented imagery reflects the students’ struggle with perfectionism, confusion, or the fast pace of the course. However, it also highlights their resilience, growth, and comfort with self-expression.
- Cultural and Personal Factors: Students with diverse backgrounds, such as Student 5 from Spain, used their self-portraits to reflect on themes like homesickness and adapting to a new culture. These personal contexts add depth to their reflections on artistic and emotional growth.
- Artistic Exploration and Growth: Several students highlighted their growth in confidence and creativity, such as Student 3, who moved from rigid, perfectionist work to more experimental practices. This shift demonstrates the power of the course in helping students break free from their prior limitations. Student 6’s reference to their chaotic but fun process and Student 7’s emphasis on collecting new knowledge and skills highlight the students’ evolving relationship with their creative processes.
Analysis of Method 2: Metaphorical Self-Portrait – Suggested Groupings of Themes
- Emotional Struggles and Self-Expression
- Common Emotional Struggles: Several students, despite their different backgrounds and artistic styles, expressed feelings of confusion, chaos, and uncertainty through their metaphorical self-portraits. For instance:
- Resilience and Growth: Despite expressing confusion, these students also exhibit resilience and a willingness to explore. Student 3, who started with a rigid, perfectionist approach, shared how they broke free from that to embrace experimentation and artistic freedom, which ties in with Student 6’s experience of working with chaotic energy and realizing their preference for spontaneous, quick art. Both students highlight their growing confidence and willingness to step out of comfort zones, resonating with others like Student 5, whose artwork represents a sense of nostalgia for home while also recognizing the freedom that the course provides them in their work.Student 1 (Kitten with rivets) describes feeling confused and needing to explore new materials, which links to Student 2 who mentioned feeling unorganized and “starting to grasp the system” after dealing with personal visa issues. Both use metaphors of internal struggle (the kitten’s adorability yet complexity and Student 2’s chaotic life journey) to express uncertainty in their academic journey.Student 7 (Bucket drawing) portrays themselves as “half full,” which echoes Student 8’s (floating spaceman) feeling of disconnection amidst a new environment and the alienation from unfamiliarity. Both students symbolize their emotional growth through metaphors of accumulation and floating — a sense of being in a state of transition yet full of potential.
- Artistic Identity and Evolving Creativity
- Artistic Exploration and Identity: A clear pattern emerges across many students in how their artistic identities are evolving and being shaped by the course.
- Metaphors of Identity: The use of metaphors such as the kitten (Student 1), bucket (Student 7), and floating spaceman (Student 8) all represent growth, adaptation, and discovery. These images link the students’ evolving artistic identities to a larger narrative of self-discovery in the face of academic and personal challenges. Each of these symbols reflects how the students are learning not just about art, but also about themselves and their place in the creative community.
Student 3’s shift from rigid work to expressive and experimental art echoes Student 6’s description of feeling excited but stressed by the new challenges of longer, more important projects. Both students recognize their artistic practice as evolving from perfectionism toward a space that embraces chaos, exploration, and learning through doing.
Similarly, Student 5 (with the exploding, colourful self-portrait) speaks to embracing change and experimentation, saying how the course challenges them to embrace freedom and not be restricted by old, structured educational systems (a stark contrast to their previous technical Baccalaureate). This aligns with Student 6’s realization that they are discovering their artistic preference and process through the course’s chaotic but stimulating pace.
3. The Impact of the Course and Academic Environment
* Course-related Struggles: Many students’ reflections describe the intensity and fast pace of the course, which is a common theme for several. Student 6 talks about feeling chaotic but excited by the fast pace, and Student 7 echoes a similar sentiment about how they are accumulating knowledge in an overwhelming but rewarding manner. Both recognize the learning curve they are experiencing, and this matches the sentiments expressed by Student 4, who feels conflicted, like they are “waving but drowning,” acknowledging the challenges while still appreciating the internal growth that happens when the flow of work hits them during class.
* Reflection and Adjustment: The students who felt more prepared, like Student 2 (with their abstract, metaphorical self-portrait), were able to more quickly articulate their personal journey. However, even the students who didn’t prepare drawings, such as Student 7 (with the bucket) and Student 8 (with the spaceman), still found meaning in their self-portraits during the session. This suggests that the act of reflection during the session itself helped them draw out deeper insights into their emotional and academic experience, creating an adjustment to the course environment and the creative process.
4. Cultural and Personal Factors
* Homesickness and Cultural Adjustment: Several students’ work reflects personal and cultural struggles:
* Student 5 (from southern Spain) expresses a sense of nostalgia and homesickness in her artwork, with a sense of being in two places at once. This is mirrored by Student 7, whose reflection about painting being their most comfortable medium contrasts with the more challenging new mediums, such as sculpture. Student 8, who references the spaceman and alien figures, is also drawing from a cultural reference point (growing up associating people with aliens) and feeling out of place in a new environment, all while facing personal challenges (her mother’s cancer diagnosis).
* This connection highlights how personal backgrounds deeply influence how students engage with their work and the creative process. Their drawings reflect not only their artistic identities but also their personal journeys.
5. The Role of the Tutor and Student Engagement
* Building Connections: The tutor’s role in unpacking these self-portraits is key to students’ reflection. Through probing questions like “What could help you feel more supported or included in the course moving forward?”, the tutor is able to nurture deeper dialogues with students, helping them articulate not only their struggles but also their aspirations.
* The connection between the tutor and students is evident in how the metaphorical language in their drawings became a tool for building rapport and helping students feel heard. For example, when Student 7 shares that they feel “half full,” they are engaging in a metaphorical conversation that bridges their artistic identity and emotional journey, which the tutor helps to unpack and understand.
* Reflective Practice: The tutor’s use of the self-portrait exercise to facilitate deeper one-on-one engagement allowed for students to explore personal themes in a low-pressure, creative way. This is especially true for students who initially hesitated, like Student 8, whose connection to their spaceman figure revealed their emotional and personal state. The tutor’s empathetic questioning gave space for vulnerabilities, leading to authentic self-expression and a clearer understanding of how the students felt about the course and their progress within it.
Summary of Connections I’ve notices Between Students’ Themes:
- Emotional Struggles: Many students expressed their confusion, chaos, or perfectionism through their self-portraits. This theme is shared across students who depict themselves as both vulnerable and resilient in different ways. These expressions are closely tied to their academic journey, where they navigate new learning experiences, personal challenges, and evolving artistic identities.
- Artistic Growth and Exploration: Students displayed a common theme of evolving artistic practices—from rigid work to more expressive, free forms. This represents a shared transition, where students are breaking free from perfectionism and embracing experimentation. The self-portraits serve as metaphors for this growth and self-discovery within the artistic environment.
- Cultural and Personal Contexts: Homesickness, personal challenges, and cultural adaptation were significant themes among the students, particularly for those like Student 5 and Student 8, who expressed the emotional weight of being in a new environment. These personal contexts were creatively explored through symbolic self-portraits.
- Tutoring as a Facilitator of Connection: The tutor’s empathetic approach and the use of metaphorical self-portraits enabled students to articulate complex emotions. This method helped deepen the student-tutor relationship, fostering a sense of belonging and support.
- The metaphorical self-portrait intervention revealed how students’ personal experiences and artistic identities are deeply interconnected. The exercise allowed them to express their internal struggles and triumphs in a creative and supportive space, with the tutor’s role being essential in helping them unpack their feelings and strengthen their connection to the course.
5. Summary of Observational Findings:
Strengths of the Metaphorical Self-Portrait Method:
- Preparation helped: Those whom had produced a drawing in advance seemed to have processed what they needed in advanced more unconsciously through drawing. It was a container of embodied memory somehow and meant these students were more confident engaging.
- Emotional Expression and Connection: The self-portrait intervention facilitated rich emotional expression from students, allowing them to depict their internal states through symbolic imagery. This method enabled students to reflect deeply on their feelings of confusion, growth, homesickness, and artistic identity. The visual nature of the exercise encouraged students to articulate complex emotions, which might otherwise have remained untapped.
- Artistic Identity Exploration: The method allowed students to explore their artistic identity in a creative and low-pressure setting. By using symbolic imagery, students could represent their evolving relationship with art, moving from rigid, perfectionist tendencies to more experimental, free-form approaches. This shift in artistic practice was a central theme in many of the self-portraits, helping students articulate their growth.
- Cultural and Personal Insight: The self-portraits were not just artistic explorations but also deeply personal. For students like Student 5, who depicted a sense of homesickness and a cultural divide, and Student 8, who symbolized their feelings of alienation through a spaceman figure, the portraits became a window into their cultural and personal challenges. This allowed for meaningful dialogue between the tutor and student, fostering a sense of understanding and connection.
- Fostering a Sense of Belonging: The reflective, creative nature of the self-portrait task encouraged a sense of belonging within the course community. As students expressed vulnerability through their artwork and reflections, the tutor’s role in unpacking their thoughts and validating their experiences I hope helped establish a trusting, supportive relationship. This led to what I felt was an observation of increased student engagement and a deeper connection to the course.
Limitations of the Metaphorical Self-Portrait Method:
- Initial Hesitation and Time Constraints: A number of students struggled with the initial hesitation of creating a drawing on the spot – those who had not prepared a drawing in advance. The lack of preparation led to slower reflection and a feeling of uncertainty in some students. Additionally, the 30-minute tutorial time frame was sometimes limiting, preventing more in-depth exploration of students’ thoughts and artistic practices where we had to eat into the session at the start. This was particularly challenging for students who had not yet grasped the full scope of their artistic identity or those dealing with more complex personal issues.
- Difficulty in Articulating Complex Emotions: While the exercise provided a way for students to express their emotions symbolically, some students found it difficult to articulate the deeper meanings of their drawings. There were instances where the students’ verbal responses were initially more surface-level, and it required careful, empathetic probing to unpack the layers of meaning perhaps expressed within their self-portraits.
- Interpretation: The method worked well for many students, there were varying interpretations of the exercise. Some students needed additional support and clearer contextualization perhaps of the exercise may be needed to ensure that all students feel comfortable and confident in using the method. Regardless each student managed to express emotions and artistic identity through visual metaphors in a way that aligned with the method’s intentions.
Suggestions for Future Iterations:
- Clearer Guidance on Image Selection: Future implementations of the Metaphorical Self-Portrait method could benefit from providing students with clearer guidance on how to choose a metaphorical image. While the open-ended nature allowed for creative freedom, some students may need more direction or examples to help them connect their feelings to their artwork more easily. This could be achieved by offering thematic prompts or encouraging students to reflect on key questions before the tutorial.
- Extended Time for Reflection: Given the depth of reflection needed for this exercise, future tutorials could be extended to allow for more in-depth exploration. The additional time would enable students to reflect on their artwork and connect it to their academic and emotional journeys more comprehensively. This would also give students more room to express their thoughts without the pressure of a time-limited session.
- Incorporate Group Reflections: Introducing group discussions as part of the self-portrait exercise could help students feel less isolated in their experiences. Group sharing would provide students with the opportunity to hear others’ reflections and draw connections between their personal journeys. This could also reduce any initial hesitation some students feel and help foster a greater sense of community and support within the course.
Final Summary of Observations:
The Metaphorical Self-Portrait intervention i think proved to be a valuable method for engaging students in deep self-reflection and emotional expression as intended. The exercise allowed students to use visual metaphors to express their artistic identities, emotional struggles, and personal journeys, leading to richer, more authentic dialogues. While some students initially hesitated or struggled to find meaning in their drawings, the method proved effective in encouraging self-discovery and artistic exploration. There was always something enlightening going on subconsciously which opened new routes of consideration. The reflective and non-judgmental nature of the task fostered I hope a sense of belonging and connectedness, as the students were able to articulate their challenges and aspirations freely.
However, the limitations of the method, including the time constraints through lack of preparation and initial hesitation from students in the beginning indicate areas for refinement in future iterations. Clearer guidelines on image selection will equate more time for reflection, and the inclusion of group discussions could enhance the method’s effectiveness later on in the year. By integrating these points I believe the Metaphorical Self-Portrait method could provide even more profound insights into students’ emotional and artistic development in different ways going forward, further strengthening their connection to the course and their creative practice.
To conclude in completion of method 2, this was successful in facilitating deep reflection and meaningful connections between students’ personal lives, artistic practices, and academic experiences. It provided students with a platform to express their evolving identities, while also contributing to the formation of a supportive and inclusive academic community. I enjoyed doing these.