Real Academics Blog

Dear Real Academics, When my husband was in graduate school, he took a course in the Department of Visualization at Texas A&M University. One of the course topics was about the difference between "looking" and "seeing". I am NO expert, but my understanding of this distinction is that "looking" is a physical act and "seeing" is a mental process of perception. I was reminded of the existence of this conceptual distinction when my husband and I watched a movie based on the life of Louis Wain this weekend ( The Electrical Life of Louis Wain on Amazon Prime with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role).  I knew little to nothing about Louis Wain. In a nut shell, I learned how Wain used his creative drawing ability to bring life and humor to readers through drawing cats. He also helped people in Victorian England warm up to the idea of keeping cats as pets (nice!). In the film, Louis' wife at one point compliments him for his ability to "lo...

 Dear Real Academics, Few people I know like change. While change can be exciting and adventuresome, it is never easy.  For this blog post I want to ask, "When is it time for change when it comes to academic writing and research?" The following are three examples of when it may be time for change in academic writing and research. I also provide ideas of what you can do to initiate healthy and productive change: When your ideas have dried up. If you are in the world of writing and research, having ideas is important. If you feel your ideas have dried up, try to "change things up". Try a free-writing exercise, or try writing in a different genre. Write a blog post or try your hand at creative writing (yes, even poetry). You may be surprised how changing from the more technical, academic genre can actually give you ideas for your next writing and research project.  When you feel stuck.  The question to ask yourself here is: Why do I feel stuck? Am I stuck because I don...