London Write Up, Research Continued
Today was mostly writing up what I had found and been inspired by in London so consisted of mostly book work. However, I decided to continue my research by using 'Survey Monkey' to create a questionnaire about Family Relationships. I'm unsure if I want the project to just be about my family and thus, almost a kind of self-portraiture or if I want it to be more accessible and feature quotes and experiences from others. With time and experimentation I'll be able to answer this I'm sure.
'Survey Monkey' was actually really easy to use and it only took me like half an hour to write up the questions before sending them out into the world. I chose nicer questions at the start and then gradually got more brutal as the questionnaire went on, this was to sort of ease people into a comfort zone as family can be a touchy subject. I also emphasised that I had kept the questionnaire anonymous so nothing could be tied to the people answering, again because family can be sensitive and people find it easier to share things if people don't know who said it. People were also given the option of being able to skip questions, I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or upset or pressure anyone to disclose something they aren't happy to. I wanted my survey to have a no pressure kind of vibe and I think I did that okay.
The questionnaire follows this format:
Family Relationships Questionnaire
An anonymous questionnaire about family relationships for an art project about family and closeness. Please answer as honestly as you can.
1. How many people are in your family? Please list them.
2. Would you say you and your family are close?
Extremely close, we tell each other everything.
Close but we still have our secrets.
Not very close, we talk a bit, but not tons.
No, we're not close at all.
Neutral, they're my family after all.
Other (please specify)
3. Who are you closest too in your family? Why?
4. How do you feel about your family?
5. Now how do you really feel deep down about your family?
6. What's a good thing you've thought about a close family member?
7. What's a bad thing you've thought about a close family member?
8. Is there any one in your family you really dislike? Why?
9. Is there any one in your family you really like? Why?
10. Is there anything you would change about your family?
I then posted my survey on Facebook and Twitter and the actual amount of people that responded was beyond what I'd expected (I expected maybe 10 people and even then after nagging them for hours). Instead, I got 30 responses that night and though a few of them were pranks, people pretending to be Batman or from Rick and Morty - they did make me laugh, I have to admit - most people took it seriously and I got a range of answers from serious, to sad, to angry, to sweet. I couldn't have been happier! Though I'm yet to go through and analyse them all, I'm stoked at the sheer amount of people who responded and I left the questionnaire open for anyone in the future. I'm excited to wade through all these answers and get a sense of people and their relationships with their families.
The link to my survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YGKWX9G