Donna Frost

The critical creative collaborative inquiries in action 163 5 When I look at this picture I have the idea that much of the energy is directed inward and expended in maintaining balance, keeping steady, holding the figure in place. In the early phases of the study I did indeed experience the philosophical and methodological base of my research as rich but potentially overwhelming. I brought colour and energy into the collaborative process, yet much of it was focused on staying on my feet, keeping my balance, and ‘trying to understand’, intellectually, so that I would be able to ‘explain what we were doing’ to both inquiry members and others. My principles and intent held me steady, my curiosity and eagerness lent me strength and perseverence. And there, at my core, a deep green, almost black embodied experience of working in critical and creative ways, consistently facilitated in my case by Angie, one of my supervisors. A green swirl and a very pale green off-shoot spring from this core, not yet fully integrated in the figure but present in the picture, or, in other words, not yet integrated in my being but part of my research process. By the time the NPI came to a close my experience of facilitating CCCI groups had been transformed, as shown in Figure 5 . 8 . Although sharing some characteristics with Figure 5 . 7 , the two illustrations feel completely different to me. Figure 5 . 8 Integrated energy, open, grounded, flowing