“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
This essay is an attempt to reflect upon the knowledge acquired over the course of the Inclusive Practice Unit of the Higher Education in Art and Design PgCert. Drawing heavily on the concepts of “radical pedagogy” (Friere, 1970), “radical empathy” (Nagar and Shirazi , 2019), “reflexive practice” (England, 1994), “radical rest” (Carmichael 2020), “idleness” (Russell, 1932) and “inclusive pedagogies” (Connor, Gabel, Gallagher & Morton, 2008) as they pertain to disability, racial diversity and the Capitalist socio-political model of education, I created Bringing Lazy Back (BLB), an artefact (workshop and reading list[1]) designed to advocate for rest as a necessary component of learning rather than as an inconvenience.
Positionality and reflexive thinking
To do this I must reflexively outline my own positionality. Kim England states in Reflexivity, Positionality and Feminist Research that:
“… reflexivity is self-critical sympathetic introspection and the self-conscious analytical scrutiny of the self as researcher” (England 1994).
My interest in rest as a pedagogical practice is deeply personal. When I was 22, at the end of my first year studying Fine Art at university, I was diagnosed with three chronic illnesses – Lupus, Hypothyroidism and Anaemia[2] – after being hospitalized. As a chronically ill person, I am always tired and require more rest than most non-disabled people. I constantly feel guilty for needing to rest more, particularly as an artist with a largely collaborative practice. Prior to my diagnosis, I was attending classes during the day in Hendon, living in Tottenham and working nights in a bar in Dalston. I am obviously not the first student to overwork while studying, however, I believe that lack of rest, paired with the stress of daily 4 hour travel times, contributed to the onset of my disability[3] (Equality Act 2010). Post-diagnosis, I overcompensated and overworked in an attempt to mitigate my physical vulnerability and “pull my weight” in collective projects, leading to further hospitalisations, and the decline of my mental health.
As a woman of mixed Jamaican and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, my natural propensity to overwork is compounded by internalised cultural tropes of exceptionalism – those who are “othered”[4](powell and Menendian, 2020) in our society, must be “exceptional” in all regards to achieve success. As Gabrielle Smith outlines in Resting In Peace While Living (A Complicated Notion) many Black and mixed-race people (white passing ones like myself included) have “complicated” relationships to work and rest (Smith 2019). Smith describes in detail the indoctrination as a result of survival modes (see also Paperny, 2017) brought on by intergenerational trauma that Black women and femmes especially are subject to, the phrase “work twice as hard to get just as far” ringing in our ears with every tap of the yardstick.
These tropes have strong roots in racist stereotypes around “laziness”[5], and in the Capitalist ideology that to produce is virtuous[6] (Woiceshyn, 2019): rendering any action which does not lead to production (rest) sinful by comparison. The desire to be a “model minority” (Barokka 2017) is pervasive[7], toxic, and cannot be underestimated – it is a hydra with many heads. While teaching on MA Applied Imagination (MAAI), a course comprised of majority overseas students[8], I began to interrogate the interplay between concepts of rest and idless, their relationship to ableism and Capitalism, and how these are cross-culturally mirrored. BLB was my attempt to facilitate the consideration of the interlocution of these themes and the way they all contribute to teaching, learning, creativity and creative burnout (Graves et al, 2011)in my students. It is a response to what I see as a significant lack of time off and opportunities for “reverie” (Graves, 2011 pg 209).
Rest-less
Full time MA programmes last one academic year. Students on MAAI are required to work through the holidays to “make the most” of their learning time. For example, during the month-long Easter break, our students were given an independent study period with a project deadline for the first week of term. The expectation is that students will be able to manage their own time effectively. However, this does not help learners who struggle with executive function[9] skills, such as time management or goal setting (Melzer et al, 2018), due to disability. As outlined by Lynne Meltzer in Executive Function in Education, when educators build “explicit strategy instruction”, rest breaks and time management, into the structure of the curriculum all students benefit. While educators cannot be wholly responsible for how students manage their time, the power imbalance between staff and students creates a duty of care[10]. Extending this further, we can surmise that not actively including the explicit instruction of rest is a side-effect of the murky language around reasonable adjustments which allows institutions to further exclude students of variant needs while posturing as inclusive (Reeve, 2007 cited in Graves, 2011). We need to make sure that learners have the tools, and the time, to “learn to relax into work” (Graves, 2011 pg 211).
Working under the proviso that “no one’s body functions perfectly, or consistently or eternally” (Shakespeare and Watson 2002, cited in Bhagat and O’Neill, 2011) and that “laziness does not exist, but unseen circumstances do” (Price, 2016) I built Bringing Lazy Back around 4 pillars:
- In giving students express permission to rest, reinforced by a comfortable environment, I will create an environment where they feel safe to rest.
- Distraction is a natural aspect of learning which should be embraced instead of punished (Bui, 2020).
- Distraction is usually an indication that one needs rest, not that they are “lazy”.
- “Idleness” is a useful tool for learning and creativity. (Russel, 1932) (See also Metz, 2020)
This is of particular relevance now that students are expected to continue their studies during a pandemic. As a collective both staff and students were in the middle of processing the traumatic global effects of Covid-19 and likely needed a break (Barbash, 2020). The shift to digital teaching impacted my ability to test BLB as I would have liked. Designed as an immersive experience intended to disrupt the usual operation of classroom dynamics, it was difficult to replicate the relaxing environment[11] I had planned when coping with poor internet connections[12], dysfunctional webcams[13] and persistent interruptions from relatives[14].
It was clear that I needed to make adaptations . With the twelve-week “intensive independent study period”[15]drawing closer and considering the already packed schedule of MAAI students, a two-hour session engaging with the power of rest and distraction was out of the question. Instead, I began to implement aspects of BLB; frequent comfort breaks, articles on rest and inviting learners to document when they became distracted (Bui, 2020) into my tutorials. The feedback was mixed. One learner from China said that he found the language in an essay I sent him, Bertrand Russell’s In Praise of Idleness, difficult to navigate. While resting after this session, I considered this feedback. In the moment, I had reassured him that the text was dense, and thanked him for being honest and sharing with me. Upon reflection, I felt that I had missed something crucial. I had included this article within the workshop specifically because it is long-winded and would provoke the reader to become distracted. For the purposes of the lesson, this would have worked well to highlight distraction as a part of learning – especially when reading academic texts. Knowing that it may be a difficult read for some, I still suggested it, perhaps out of a misguided desire not to patronise students who have English as a second language. However, recommending this text out of context had served to further estrange him from the concept of rest, rather than allow him to embrace it. I had not been reasonable enough with my adjustments.
Conversely, feedback from my colleagues on the lesson plan for BLB was positive. They liked that I had built explicit instructions into the fabric of the lesson and that I had also included how long each segment of the session should take. They recommended that I explore the work of The Nap Ministry, a collective of African American artists who “…facilitate immersive workshops and curate performance art that examines rest as a radical tool for community healing.” (Hersey, undated)[16]. As outlined above, I had layered the concepts and rest tools one atop the other in a way that my colleagues said was simple but effective[17].
Takeaways
To conclude, the difference between these two scenarios further illustrates to me the need for feedback from staff and students with variant levels of ability and diverse backgrounds. It also highlights the need for surrender as an act of radical vulnerability and radical pedagogy (Nagar and Shirazi, 2019). Surrender to the academic process of reviewing one’s practices and adapting accordingly. Surrender to feedback even when it confirms or confronts our internal biases. Finally, surrender to the power of rest and self-care as a tool for learning, change and resistance.
Bibliography
Russell, B., Gottlieb, A. and Woodhouse, H., 2011. In Praise Of Idleness And Other Essays. 4th ed. London: Routledge, p.In Praise of Idleness. Available at: https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness
England, K., 1994. Getting Personal: Reflexivity, Positionality, and Feminist Research∗. The Professional Geographer, 46(1), pp.80-89.
Freire, P., 2018. Pedagogy Of The Oppressed. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
Carmichael, M., 2020. Radical Rest. [online] Resurgence.org. Available at: https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article2458-radical-rest.html
Smith, G., 2020. Resting In Peace Whilst Living (A Complicated Notion) – By Gabrielle Smith *Edited By Deborah Marie — Island Girls Rock!. [online] Island Girls Rock! Available at: https://islandgirlsrock.com/blog/2019/12/17/resting-in-peace-whilst-living-a-complicated-notion
Paperny, T., 2017. Do Some Trauma Survivors Cope By Overworking?. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/do-some-trauma-survivors-cope-by-overworking/516540/
Woiceshyn, J., 2019. The Virtue Of Production | Capitalism Magazine. [online] Capitalism Magazine. Available at: https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2019/10/business-virtue-production/
Bhagat, D. and O’Neill, P. (eds.), 2011. Inclusive Practices, Inclusive Pedagogies Learning From Widening Participation Research In Art And Design Higher Education. Croydon: CPI Group.
Bui, K., 2020. How Keeping A “Distraction Journal” Completely Revitalized My Workflow & Productivity. [online] The Financial Diet. Available at: https://thefinancialdiet.com/how-keeping-a-distraction-journaling-completely-revitalized-my-workflow-productivity/
Powell, J. and Menendian, S., 2020. The Problem Of Othering: Towards Inclusiveness And Belonging – Othering And Belonging. Available at: http://www.otheringandbelonging.org/the-problem-of-othering/
Metz, E., 2020. Why Idle Moments Are Crucial For Creativity. [online] Bbc.com. Available at:
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170414-why-idle-moments-are-crucial-for-creativity
Meltzer, L., 2018. Executive Function In Education: From Theory To Practice. 2nd ed. New York, London: The Guilford Press.
Jazeel, T., Kent, A., et al (eds) 2019. Nagar, R , The World Through Radical Vulnerability, in Keywords In Radical Geography: Antipode At 50. 2nd ed. Hoboken, Oxford: Wiley Press.
Barbash, E., 2020. Coronavirus: The Psychological Trauma And PTSD Event. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/trauma-and-hope/202003/coronavirus-the-psychological-trauma-and-ptsd-event
Hersey, T., n.d. About. [online] The Nap Ministry. Available at: https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/about/
David J. Connor , Susan L. Gabel , Deborah J. Gallagher & Missy Morton (2008): Disability studies and inclusive education — implications for theory, research, and practice, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12:5-6, 441-457
Equalityhumanrights.com. 2010. Equality Act 2010 | Equality And Human Rights Commission. [online] Available at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/equality-act-2010
Khairani Barokka (Okka) (2017) Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve.and.Mary.Are.Having.Coffee while chronically ill, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 22:3, 387-392, DOI: 10.1080/13569783.2017.1324778
Footnotes
[1][ Lesson plan for the workshop and reading list are contained in Appendix A.
[2] Autoimmune diseases such as Lupus frequently “travel in packs” with secondary conditions such as hypothyroidism, migraine, diabetes etc.
[3] Disability is defined under the Equality Act 2010 as: “…a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.”
[4] Powel and Menendian define the practice of “Othering” as a “set of dynamics, processes, and structures that engender marginality and persistent inequality across any of the full range of human differences based on group identities.” [Original italics]
[5] Black people have frequently been portrayed in popular culture as lazy criminals in a racist attempt to dehumanise us.
[6] Worth noting is that our modern concept of “virtue” is heavily influenced by Plato’s dialogues in which he outlines happiness/goodness (eudaimonia) as the ultimate aim of all moral thought and posits that the virtues/excellence (arete) are the only means of attaining goodness via their disciplines.
[7] Khairani Barokka refers to her desire to be a “model minority” in her essay Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill as being one of the reasons she overworked and experienced burnout while touring the performance across the country.
[8] 85% of the current cohort is Chinese.
[9] For example those who are neurodiverse, chronically ill or experience poor mental health. Although there are various definitions for executive function across academia, Melzer classifies executive function as “…a broad term describing the range of skills required for purposeful, goal-directed activity, socially appropriate conduct, and independent regulation of action and affect (Denckla, 1994).”
[10] As defined in the legal sense as “a requirement that a person act toward others and the public with watchfulness, attention, caution and prudence that a reasonable person in the circumstances would. If a person’s actions do not meet this standard of care, then the acts are considered negligent, and any damages resulting may be claimed in a lawsuit for negligence.”
[11] See figs 1&2 .
[12] Many of my Chinese students have been self-isolating in hotels after travelling home from London. The Wi-Fi was frequently unreliable and they often missed large portions of their lessons as a result of poor connectivity and bandwidth.
[13] It is very difficult to gauge how engaged a learner is in the session being taught when their webcam is off and their microphone muted.
[14] During one tutorial a student’s guardian interrupted twice to ask if they wanted anything to drink.
[15] Summer break. During this time students conduct research for projects they have designed themselves in the units leading up to this point. They do this with a “light-touch” facilitation approach from staff.
[16] See Figs 2&3.
[17][17] See Figs 4,5&6.
Appendix A