ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ways in which visual and narrative data production can be incongruent with the everyday lives of participants; and the need for researchers to be aware that engaging with drawing, and other creative methods, can be a site of embarrassment and discomfort. It explores the idea of artistic ability and how this can impact on the quality of images and, more importantly, on the items that are included and excluded in participants' drawings. In traditional interview methods the researcher sets a date, arranges a convenient time and that part of the fieldwork is complete. The chapter works to address this somewhat neglected area by setting out tales from the field that explore the potentialities and drawbacks of a variety of techniques. It considers the issues of time, artistic ability, technical proficiency and suitability across the modes of photography, drawing, collage, sandboxing, and the use of artefacts and found materials as tools of elicitation.
