The Anatomy of Research

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” — A. Einstein

‘My Creative Process’ would be the more suitable title for this article, but I already hooked with the current title. After all, this article is still about research, so, don’t let the title bothers you. — this part was written by someone else.

People nowadays take the process of research for granted, it’s so easy and incredibly fast to do it. When you’re hanging out with your friends and came across something that you forgot (like some old movie) or argue about simple things like “how to pronounce the Neue on Helvetica Neue?” people will tend to search it right away on Google, which actually an act of micro-researching. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, I do the same thing too sometimes, it’s just that these micro-research moments would gradually take its toll. We unconsciously weaken the need to memorise things, to say what’s on our mind because maybe it’s not a ‘google-ly’ right answer. It’s exhausting sometimes to trap in those conversations when everything has to be fact-checked, I mean is there any spot left for somebody’s opinion?

What is it that you really try to find?

At first I didn’t know what kind of article is this gonna be, I decided to just write about a theme which is research, but as I write first two paragraph below, I kinda like the idea of sharing my process of creating a zine, which basically the result of my research about an issue, that would end up in some illustration form that I currently like. (illustration is something that I constantly researching)

“I like to create this simple book called zine, it’s kind of a medium where you could throw anything without being censored, it’s free, it’s cheap, easy to make and I had a lot of fun doing it.” — some part of me decided to make this a quote section.

1. Idea Phase.

When I’m on my zine-creating mode, I usually start with finding the right topic, what kind of issues that really triggers me to be creative, it has to be genuinely mysterious and invites my mind to wander. If the theme doesn’t tease you enough, you probably would submit in the middle of the process. This phase is quite important, this process will result to a certain theme which is the only boundaries that I set to limit my project, as I would get lost in thought if I keep changing the theme and the project would usually end up dormant. I found many ideas by watching more movies, read comics, listen to more music, basically enjoy more of other people work of art but with a conscious mind that I’m on some kind of a mission to find a good theme, It will make you somehow enjoy it less — because you’re constantly thinking — but the results are real, you’ll find something. I usually spend 2–3 weeks to finally find a theme that I truly like.

Tip: Think deep, think shallow, look closely, look from afar, try to find it inside you, try to find it outside yourself, keep searching most of the times, and try not search for anything sometimes. After you find something interesting, test your topic, if it still feels fresh and intriguing for about 4 days after you find it, then maybe it’s the one.

“After I decide to stick with a theme, I’ll move on to the next phase which is research. But what is it that I really try to find? if I already know what to search, the research process would be limited.” — this part should’ve been deleted because I feel that it gives a cringe hook to the paragraph, but I want you to see an example of a rejected idea.

2. Research Phase.

I usually gather any information regarding the issue, trying to see it from many different angles, at this stage I have not decided the point of view that I want to expand. Still questioning different things about it, trying to argue with my own findings. Sometimes people think that I’m confused about the project at this stage but the truth is I’m trying to find the right question to answer while constantly open to a new perspective. Confuse is a sign that you’re doing a thinking process. Basically, you still doing the first step, but in the realm of the decided theme. Don’t just do bunch of micro-search, give it some time to grow, idea is like a flower that grows in your mind, you have to give it some time, sleep on it <I literally sleep at this point> and tomorrow I will continue to next phases, which is ‘Experiment Phase’, ‘Review Phase’, ‘Ecstasy Phase’.

Hello again,

I had a pretty mediocre day today, but hard enough to make me forgot about what I want to write more on this article, luckily I already make notes before I sleep yesterday, so I could pick up where I left off. Today also made me kind of lose a bit of will to continue this article, but I saw somebody on the internet once said:

“It would be better to have an un-perfectly finished project, rather than having lots of perfectly un-finished projects.” — some artist that I follow on Instagram.

I know the quote ain’t perfect but hopefully you get the point, so let’s continue.

3. Experiment Phase.

For me personally, this is the most exciting part of the whole project. This is the part where you could actually get better at something. First, let’s divide a project into two big chunks, the pre-production chunk & the actual production chunk. While Idea Phase and Research Phase are both pre-productions, Experiment Phase is the first part of productions, so obviously you should now put your hands on something and start working. In this phase you could try all the things that you already found at the Research Phase and try to make something out of it through trial and errors, it’s the only way to truly experience the process of creation. The key is to keep things open to whichever result that may come, only after that you can try to gradually control what kind of outcome you want to achieve. Do not try to predestine things, or have a pre-conception about the result, for things like this will only take the fun out of the project.

Tip: A good experiment is where you could find something that you have never seen before, or be able to do something that you never did before. Nike told you to ‘just do it’, so keep making those errors, then do better trials, this will bring you to make better errors, that will lead you to do better trials, and so on. Challenge yourself, and you’ll be amazed at the things you could do.

4. Review Phase

As I said before in the research phase, be constantly open to new perspectives. This phase is like cooking with a wok (which make an unreviewed project looks like a bad sushi), you have to be fast, which mean you don’t have time to be a perfectionist dick, then you have to season as you go, which mean that you have to fix things here and there from top to bottom while not stopping the progress, and lastly, if you overdo it, then the dish would be burnt, which for me it means that the joy is already lost. The project has become more of a burden rather than exciting experience. You’re no longer try to find anything, you just effectively terminating ideas by finishing the project ASAP. But essentially, the more you review the finer it will be, your experience will guide you here to know what to change or which one take out and whatnot, and to decide when to stop & finish it.

5. Ecstasy Phase

The thing that keeps me going all this time is the pleasure of finishing a project. It feels more satisfying than a couple of likes on Instagram, that sense of achievement is so good you’ll savour it. I remember this one time after finally xeroxed and bind my zine at 3 in the morning, I can’t stop reading it over and over. I drove to a nearby gas station just to read it over and over, checking what’s missing, amazed at my own artwork, and keep thinking what would somebody say when he or she read this. The ecstasy of making a zine gives me a good reason to reorder this experience again.

note: no internet or literature research was made in the making of this article, it’s just mainly my opinion.