Higher Things in Life : Artists' Information Seeking of the Aesthetic
Haavisto, Janne (2023)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2023042638948
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2023042638948
Tiivistelmä
Information needs of practicing artists have been widely neglected in information behaviour studies. Arts and literature, which are considered among the higher things in life in the aesthetic domain, is a context of information-seeking behaviour that requires more qualitative, empirical research in abundance in order to bring the higher and lower contexts of information phenomena into a holistic balance in the field of information science. Now more than ever before, as artificial intelligence is taking over the more mundane tasks in the lower contexts, increased attention should be given to the higher sphere, enabling human beings to not only survive, but to thrive with information. The current master’s thesis explores artists’ information-seeking behaviour – the information needs, forms of seeking, as well as the uses and outcomes of information – in the aesthetic domain from their subjective, phenomenological perspective. Special attention is paid to the positive perspective and the affective dimension in information seeking. The aim of the study is to unearth novel insights for the purpose of supporting the fulfilment of human self-actualisation needs and creative endeavours.
The underlying philosophy of research was interpretivism, characterised by a phenomenological approach. Qualitative research methods were employed in the study, the idiographic nature of which provided individual, unique, and practical perspectives to the information phenomena under investigation by way of relatively in-depth semi-structured interviews. The inductive reasoning in the interpretation of the interviews via the method of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis allowed for novel insights to emerge from the collected data.
The findings suggest that leisure-time information seeking of arts and literature is integral to the lived experience of artists and, thus, connected to their self-care and creative work especially in terms of synthesising aesthetic experiences. It is of such significance to the artists that it could be called a form of serious leisure. Arts and literature are perceived as potentially pleasurable and profound, indicating the higher nature of the information phenomena, although the height is dependent on the context and state of being of the experiencer. The information needs of artists stem from more fundamental needs such as self-actualisation needs and aesthetic needs. These information needs are extremely varied, characterised most often by a positive interest, and motivated by both cognitive and affective factors. The informational value of aesthetics is bolstered by the findings. It is concluded that many of the novel insights discussed warrant further study in the field, especially with a positive perspective and in the affective dimension for the benefit of practicing artists.
The underlying philosophy of research was interpretivism, characterised by a phenomenological approach. Qualitative research methods were employed in the study, the idiographic nature of which provided individual, unique, and practical perspectives to the information phenomena under investigation by way of relatively in-depth semi-structured interviews. The inductive reasoning in the interpretation of the interviews via the method of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis allowed for novel insights to emerge from the collected data.
The findings suggest that leisure-time information seeking of arts and literature is integral to the lived experience of artists and, thus, connected to their self-care and creative work especially in terms of synthesising aesthetic experiences. It is of such significance to the artists that it could be called a form of serious leisure. Arts and literature are perceived as potentially pleasurable and profound, indicating the higher nature of the information phenomena, although the height is dependent on the context and state of being of the experiencer. The information needs of artists stem from more fundamental needs such as self-actualisation needs and aesthetic needs. These information needs are extremely varied, characterised most often by a positive interest, and motivated by both cognitive and affective factors. The informational value of aesthetics is bolstered by the findings. It is concluded that many of the novel insights discussed warrant further study in the field, especially with a positive perspective and in the affective dimension for the benefit of practicing artists.