Art Forms Vs. Interviews

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking how I will approach interviewing different individuals in the field. I really enjoyed doing it as I did in my Methods Practice where I recorded the interview then wrote up my report but it is very time consuming. As I learned in class there are four different types of interviewing:

• Informal Interviewing: is characterized by a lack of structure or control. It is a form in which you jot down conversations heard during the day. An example of this type of interviewing may be participant observation where you observe and then report. (Sketching)
• Unstructured Interviewing: is characterized by sitting down for an interview with another person constantly keeping in mind your plan but there is not a lot of control over the person’s responses. There is knowledge between both parties that the conversation is for the purpose of interviewing. There is plenty opportunity for more interviews. (Watercolor)
• Semisturctured Interviewing: is characterized by a onetime chance meaning you have a written list of questions or topics that need to be covered. This kind of interviewing involves a lot of probing and directed yet open questions. (Oil)
• Structured Interviewing: this is generally characterized by yes or no questions. It involves an interview schedule that does not diverge from the desired topic. (Acrylic)

Each of these interviewing strategies has its own purpose. Lately I have been trying to think of it as in terms of art from my perspective and talent. Sketching is certainly a free form. You can do whatever you want with it. It can be changed, erased, or redrawn but the marks originally drawn never disappear completely. As in informal interviewing, you can choose what you want to observe or focus on, you can ignore or miss important or less important parts of the day but it will never disappear. You can't erase what you hear or see but you can dim certain aspects. You can focus on the most important lines of the sketch but it is not the full picture unless you include all aspects of the picture, or in the case of interviewing, you must include all observations of the day to complete the picture.

Unstructured Interviewing is similar to watercolors. If you have ever painted with water colors you know that you cannot control where the color goes as you would like to. Sometimes you can keep it semi-contained and other times it goes all the way across your painting destroying everything. This type of interviewing is like water colors. Sometimes it stays fairly contained and other times it goes completely off track but embrace it. Not every interview will turn out perfect. It will always be a learning experience but maybe not always useful for reporting your project.

Semistuructured Interviewing is like oil painting. You can reassess the interview and redirect it. You provide guiding questions to get the results you need. It may not always be what you want to hear but it will guide you on to bigger and better things. You can redirect and correct misunderstandings and begin to understand the interviewee. Oil painting in this way is very flexible. If a mistake is made or the paint has gone off track you can throw some turpentine on it and wipe it right off leaving only a little color behind. As in interviewing you can't erase what was said but you can clarify. Once the color is whipped away you can cover up the light stain and clarify what is supposed to be expounded.

Lastly, in structured interviewing there is an unworkability. You ask the questions on your interviewing map just as listed and there is no expounding, no changing or understanding what is said. Acrylics are unchangeable. There is no erasing, only smearing, if it is still wet, or covering it up, if it is dry. In this type of interview there is no clarification, you can't gain an understanding as you can in semistructured. Oils allow adjusting and redirecting where the only thing you can do with acrylics is cover things up. In my opinion, this is like using or adjusting the structured interviews results and making up an analysis without the information. You are covering up what was said just as you would cover a mistake on an acrylic painting. But it does have its benefits! If there is a limited amount of time to interview then the topics you need covered can be covered, just like acrylics you only have a limited time before it dries so you need to get everything down before it is over.

So as you can see art and interviewing are very comparative. They both have their positives and negatives. As I have assessed the different types I am beginning to believe that semisturcture and informal interviewing will be most beneficial to my study. I can have semistructure interviews as I choose and find candidates but I will also be able to use informal interviewing as I am helping on farms or talking to people in the markets.