Last month I talked about some of the issues I’ve been experiencing with procrastination. Today, I’ll discuss the work I’ve done since then while also taking a look back on the past year.
In terms of revision, I admittedly haven’t done all that much. After I shifted around a few sections to better reflect my current thinking, I checked in with my advisor and sent off the draft of chapter one for him to read. I’m not used to handing in work in such a rough state, but that’s not unusual with dissertations. Aside from being able to see the ideas as they’re developing, it’s easier to make suggestions when the work is still rough and pliable. Since handing in the draft, I haven’t done anything with it, but once I get it back, I’ll set about making revisions.
In the meantime, I’ve been working on other things relating to the dissertation. Given that I’d like to include a digital humanities component to the dissertation, I’ve been talking with other digital scholars about platforms they’ve used and related topics. I’ve also been talking with faculty on campus about getting undergraduates to potentially help me with the actual coding and building, and have been writing up a proposal of what I have in mind. As of yet there’s no project to show, but I’m taking steps toward making that a reality.
Most importantly, I’ve been looking ahead to next semester’s research. A lot of the archives I still need to visit have started reopening, so I’ve been talking with archival staff about scheduling visits next semester. Knowing that these trips will cost money, I’ve also been applying for grants and funding provided through William & Mary to sponsor these trips. While the omicron variant might foil my research plans, I currently intend to return to New York early next semester to research the Neighborhood Exhibition program. Given its relative proximity and accessibility, I’ll also gather the research I need on the VMFA’s artmobile. Finally, at the end of the spring semester, or the early summer, I’ll travel to Minneapolis to peruse the Walker Art Center’s holdings (mostly because I don’t want to go out there in the winter). If I can get these research trips done by the early summer, that’ll give me the summer to sort through the research and sketch out the subsequent chapters, which I can draft during the school year.
So that’s where I am right now. As I said, it’s entirely possible that the pandemic will interfere with these plans, and if that’s the case, I’ll come up with an alternate schedule.
Looking back on the past year, I won’t deny that the pandemic has been frustrating. While there are a lot of resources available online, I haven’t been able to do as much as of the archival work as I’d like. Nevertheless, it’s not like I haven’t done anything. On the contrary, I managed to get my prospectus approved, have written a draft of the first chapter, and have a lot of groundwork in place for the remaining chapters. If curating has taught me anything about long-term project management, it’s that there’s an ebb and flow to the work. When I was working on Magical and Real, sometimes months would go by before I’d get a chance to do some research or writing. And yet the show happened despite those lulls. I may be in a bit of a holding pattern right now, but that will change. As long as I’m doing something though, even if it’s just organizing data or planning future research trips, I’m getting there.