1. Artistry of Coding Your Data
Examples and Ideas

2. Format of Section 1: Interview
Introduces the person (biography) and the questions
(thesis/purpose statements).
Describes the process of interviewing (methodology).
Presents the questions and discusses the answers (data
and analysis/interpretation).
Additional portraiture possibilities: include sketches,
photos, art images from the site/person you interview
(documents of identity – images that tell who they are).
More to come…

3. Coding – What is it?
Classifying, describing, finding patterns
Part of researching, part of making connections, part
of making meaning

4. The Process
Transcribe or type up your data from the interviews
Notice anticipatory codes – words or concepts you already know
you are interested in. For example: interdisciplinarity, for nature,
for technology, for recycling, etc.
Notice other trends. What are words or ideas that keep popping
up? The challenge is to be mindful/really pay attention to data.
Triangulation – check with a peer about other codes noticed.
Their additions can enhance your research, and if they echo
some of your codes, that suggests your analysis has more
validity/relevance.

5. Hobbyist // Serious artist
Art // Craft (“on a ledge”)
“Bikini-clad” // “Large, scary person”
Female physicalities // Gender technologies
Individuality // Community
Speech // Silence

6. Sample Coding Key: Interviews with
Ceramic Artists
BLUE: Ceramics as a “hobby” or a “serious” endeavor along gender
groupings
RED: Assertions of neutrality of gender in role as artist (not seeing self as
“female potter”)
DARK GREEN: “Feminine” of traditionally female subject matter and
processes – especially SCALE
TURQUOISE: Female community
ORANGE: Ambivalence/duality in the material of clay
NEON GREEN: Depicting Female/male bodies in clay
PINK: Oppositionality/”proving” oneself as a ceramic artist
GREY: Art and craft delineations
AMBIVALENCE: Anticipatory code of balancing two opposing ideas

7. Sample: Codes
I don't think gender plays a role except for
shows maybe. I think that is kind of the
general attitude of the artwork. It seems
like a guy is taken more as an artist, whereas
a girl as an artist is seen as a hobbyist. (Clay
as a hobby code)
I just got my work in a show of all women,
and I was in one last fall. That was good for
me – I am not complaining! That was one of
the points the organizers made... that if
people said it was not fair it was all women
and it has always been the opposite in
history so.... (Female community code)

8. Visual Data: Communication: speech and silence
(like a word cloud)
what does it mean to you to be a female ceramic artist? Being female as a ceramic artist.
I identify with being a Black female potter.
I don‟t know if I would emphasize the female part. I‟m a potter.
I rarely think of myself as a „female potter‟ but just a potter.
(I guess when I started) it didn‟t mean anything. Just being an artist.
I didn‟t want to be singled out. I wanted to be like everyone else.
I wanted to go forward in the profession.
Mostly I don‟t think about being a female potter. I guess I think of myself as an artist.
I‟ve never really thought about it. Not that much especially. No, I don't think so.
To answer your question, I'd just say no!
The main thing is I like being a potter.