Wednesday 20 November 2013

breathing space

Since I last posted on this blog, I've moved out of my home of the last 6 years, relocated and changed one of my supervisors, following the first year of my PhD. Significant changes, enough to justify radio silence you might think?  So perhaps I don't need to mention the fact that having taken a break for a couple of weeks in the summer, I returned to 'work' and immediately felt saturated with blogs/twitter/linkedin...to the extent that I just decided not to engage again until I felt I had something to say. Amazingly, life carried on regardless.

I suspect that another reason I haven't posted is that I had become aware of a degree of self-censorship about my PhD supervisory issues, wasn't happy about it but didn't know quite how else to proceed.  And I haven't had a lightbulb moment, I'm still unsure.  But I think that in itself is worth saying.

Good stuff is happening now.  Into the second year and the primary research phase of my PhD.  More confidence in my abilities to research my topic.  Opportunities offered by both a new location and a new supervisor.  About to head off to no doubt freezing Sweden to give a paper.  Breathing spaces are valuable.  Perspectives change.