In previous discussions, we had considered the first three chapters, and therefore I was keen to gain feedback on the chapter where everything featured in the thesis comes together. For example, whether the Research Questions, Aim and Objectives articulated in the Introduction have been met and how, and an important section about my contribution to practice and research. At the same time, I had been working on editing the first three chapters, making sure headings, references to terms, and citations were consistent and included in the Bibliography, as well as checking Exhibit numbering against the Exhibit list. I decided to rewrite Chapter 4 to make sure it picked up threads first mentioned in Chapter 1 and featured in Chapters 2 and 3 to ensure a strong narrative through the thesis.
While there were further points my supervisors asked me to address, I was pleased that the remaining work was of a minor editing nature. Although it seemed that however many readings of the thesis I completed, I continued to find very small and, if I am honest, generally inconsequential minor tweaks. At the same time, I found it tempting to add points of clarification to sections, only to find that if I read the following sentences I had already done so. I was in danger of disrupting the narrative and I needed to stop. I had been given some advice at the start of my PhD that the most difficult decision is to know when to stop and submit. My perfectionist tendencies were very apparent at this stage!
The month of June will be spent working on the handmade Artist’s Book with my bookbinder on North Uist and making the final tweaks and changes to the thesis before submission at the end of the month.
