SIG - Sitting In Gnomeland

Now that I have your attention, I wanted to take some time to talk about how valuable SIGs are.

SIG - Special Interest Group

When I began Module 2, I remember thinking to myself  'what on earth is a SIG?' I had seen them mentioned left, right and centre. I have previously written about how finding and participating in SIGs was initially very difficult, for an array of reasons such as time and not knowing my inquiry question. However, it is because of these groups that I discovered what I wanted my inquiry to be.

Throughout my time on this course, not only do I read the blogs of students on the same module as me, but also those on all other modules and past students. I have found it incredibly helpful if I'm stuck or looking for a bit of inspiration. So in the hope of a future student reading this 1) Hello and welcome 2) don't see the SIGs as an immediate right off, they're worth it I promise.

So why have I found them so valuable? Well here's a quick list:

- They offer support and encouragement
- They can be a fresh set of eyes that you need, when you have been focused for too long
- A good source for discussion whether it be for your inquiry or otherwise
- More opinions give you more to consider and talk about
-  It is a good way to discuss the course and provide more professional connections
- It's a constant stream of communication which keeps you thinking about the course

So, thanks to the SIGs I found my inquiry title. Instead of listening to the millions of ideas whirring around inside my head, I listened to others who were looking onto my practice and work. Equally, the blogs are a fantastic discussion and conversation source, but using the comment function can be hard to keep a running conversation going, so the SIG does this brilliantly.

Throughout my Inquiry, I aim to use my current, and hopefully new, SIGs efficiently as a tool to aid my investigation.

The Cirle of Life of My Inquiry

So, I have actually been hard at work developing my inquiry but I haven't had the time to blog about it. Thought I'd do a quick summary of what's been going on.


I have been struggling with what I want my inquiry question to be for a long time now. My brain has flitted between a million different ideas. My blog posts are very good evidence for that. I know that I tend to over think and over evaluate things, so when I think about it my inquiry question has been right in front of me the whole time.

It took a few SIG conversations for me to come to the realisation that whilst all the 'possible inquiry questions' I have written about are interesting, they're not necessarily involved with my daily practice.

Adesola would constantly say 'Yes, but what is your practice?' and I would get flustered and confused. A brain overload between all the skypes and reading and blogging. I'd forgotten to look right at the heart of what I do.

'Hi, my name is Jess Dinmore and I'm an actor, currently working as a theatre tech'.

That is my practice. I love my job and the incredible team of people I get to work with but I started to think about WHY I love working backstage so much. I decided to jot down a few ideas in my journal from Module 1:

It was that last point that really struck a chord home. What exactly are the skills I have learnt and how can I bring them into the performing world. Thus my inquiry title was born. 

 'Does working in technical theatre enhance and advance your skills as a performer?'

The only way I can describe how it felt to finally have made a decision on my inquiry title and how inspired and excited I was and still am about looking further into it, is by this image:

I'm fortunate enough to be a part of a few SIG groups, so I pitched the idea to them when it was still in the early stages. I was (rather thankfully) greeted with positive remarks:

                 

I have completed my basic inquiry plan with all my intentions mapped out. My next immediate step is to start looking further into literature to read, then write reviews on said literature. I'm excited to see what my inquiry will bring.


Someone get me a brew.