Being an outsider is unsettling. The situation is nebulous and fragile. My senses are on high alert. I am practising research, but it doesn’t feel like that. The non-human is approachable and compared to people, straight forward. Navigating a relationship with the dwellers of a place is far more complex. It is helpful if you enter with a host, a person or an organisation that offers support and guidance with understanding the local conditions, protocols and framework. Others can relate to you because of your association with the host. I like that you have to feel all this, that your position is fragile. It makes you think, makes you accountable, and makes you acutely aware of how insignificant you are, alone.
Trust is engaged in every step of the process. You can’t foresee what will happen. The outcomes may not be as anticipated. You have to trust in yourself and trust in the process, but most importantly be open, be ready to absorb. I like to think of it as being in the sticky.
