Omid Karimi
Abstract
This article discusses the use of life history as a kind of qualitative research method to learn more about the concept of ìpurposeî. The author tries to discover more about the concept of purpose through interviewing with Hojat Amani, an Iranian artist who has endeavored to have a purposeful life and has gone beyond the self to influence his community. Combining life history interviewing with the detailed observation of the subject in a naturalistic milieu is typical of the ethnographic research .Through interviewing, it becomes clear that purpose is a multifaceted subject and despite obstacles and challenges ,one can still have a purpose and be determined enough to achieve it. In addition, one learns more about the environment in which the interviewee struggles to fulfil his dream.
Introduction
Among developmental psychologists, there is a growing interest in the concept of purpose and what it means for individuals to have purpose in life (Malin, Reilly, Quinn, and Moran, 2013). Kashdan & McKnight (2009) define purpose as a central, self-organizing life aim. Purpose is self-organizing because it provides a framework for systematic behavior patterns in everyday life. However, a recent theory considers purpose as a distinct construct. In 2003, Damon, Menon & Bronk proposed another definition for purpose which much of the emerging literature on youth purpose has focused on that (Kashdan, Machell, & Disbato, 2015): Purpose is a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self. Furthermore, recent empirical research has shown that purpose is a critical factor for promoting positive development in adolescence (Bundick and Tirri, 2014). There is now a substantial body of research that demonstrates the importance of finding purpose in life. For example, after reviewing the relevant literature, Bronk, Lapsley, Talib, & Finch. (2009) concluded that purpose as a significant aspect of human flourishing, is related to greater levels of happiness and resilience, and correlates with psychological health. Research on purpose indicates that a person sense of life purpose to be closely connected to virtually all dimensions of well-being Damon (2008). Purpose has also been identified as a developmental asset (Benson, 1997, cited in Massey, Winifred, Gebhardt, Garnefski, 2008) and a goal that gives direction to life (Damon, 2008).
Most of the present research on purpose in life has focused on global self-report questionnaires. Such questionnaires ask respondents to endorse the degree to which their life has a purpose or mission (Kashdan& McKnight, 2009). For sure, such researches are necessary but not sufficient. The present study focuses on the ideas of an individual who had a dream to be an artist and that dream has come true now. The artist tries to influence his community through teaching, creating artworks and sharing his experience with others.
Method
People construct their own meanings through their own experiences and qualitative research allows researchers to understand those meanings. One of the main features of qualitative research is that “the researcher is the primary instrument for data collection and analysis. Data are mediated through human instrument. Therefore, the position of a researcher in relation to his or her research is critically important to understanding both research processes and findings (Marriam, cited in Enke&Huilman, 2010). Qualitative inquiry is collaborative and requires a close relationship akin to friendship. Furthermore, this kind of research involves mutual storytelling in which both practitioner and researcher feel cared for and have a voice with which to tell their stories (Connelley&Clandinin, 1990).
The data informing this research were collected through interviews conducted in the fall of 2017. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Hojat and the interviews were audio recorded and transcribed in full by the researcher. Interviews were done in Persian and then were translated into English by the author. Hojat was given the opportunity to review the transcript and translation of his interview so as to ensure his intended views.
The First Meeting
More than ten years ago, I went to the countryside to visit my friends who were teaching there and it was there that I visited Hojat for the first time. He was serving as a secondary school teacher in a village called Maliche. I spent a night there with my friends and that night I remember Hojat was painting a portrait of an old man and together we had a whale of a time there. This was the beginning of a good and lasting relationship. Hojat was interested in learning English language (I am an English teacher) and I was interested in learning more about the visual arts and thrust together by circumstance and serendipity, we continued our friendship over the following years. We have developed a good relationship which has lasted so far. On occasion, I would visit him to learn more about Visual Art and sometimes Hojat would drop by to talk to me and practice his English. Hojat has a candid character, and in general, he makes no bones about saying something which is necessary to be mentioned. He is brave enough to go against the flow both in his career and his personal life. He has paid the price several times for being resistant to whatever he considers misuse of power, immoral and inhuman. He has tried hard to have a purposeful life and his journey toward purpose has been continuous.
The Past
Hojat has known for his painting as well as Resuscitator the old style Persian calligraphy that called Taaliq. I started writing this article when Hojat Amani had returned from his trip to Germany. He was there to display his works and to hold a workshop on Iranian calligraphy. Hojat was born in lorestan,1979 in small town in Lorestan province where his family have lived for years. He had the same schooling like his peers. In the past, children would go to a public school with no special education regarding the arts (the same problem exits even today) and also there were not any art schools, public library or gallery in the city. Considering family, there was no artistic background to inspire him in his career path. The only source he had was a collection of stamps which were a kind of model for him to practice drawing. The time passed and despite difficulties and obstacles, Hojat was accepted in the university as an art student and he remembers how excited he was at that time:
It was as if a thirsty person after struggling a lot reaches an oasis to quench his thirst. I had an insatiable thirst for learning. To tell the truth, I didn’t like to get back home from college and I didn’t like my college days to end. College days were the best period of my lifetime. I was deeply engrossed in my major.
Later, he became familiar to some great people who influenced him and he feels really indebted to them. After graduation and teaching at vocational schools for some years, Hojat passed MA exam and continued learning. The next critical stage in his journey toward success was going abroad. For the first time he visited London, the mecca of Middle Eastern visual artists, and for him it was an unforgettable experience:
It was there that I become familiar with the professional world of art business and visited extraordinary museums which are beyond description.
Hojat’s most famous work, the Angels, was a significant factor which paved the way for him to hold exhibition outside Iran. He explained to me about this work with the following words:
Images of winged angels have always existed in the minds of all humans. These pictures symbolize the desire to fly and to be free from the material world. In the modern world, human beings, surrounded with machines of all sorts, are always anxious about the future. Therefore, men long for inner peace and sometimes by imagining themselves as angels, they try to find the desired tranquility.
Therefore, we have set off on a journey, carrying a drape on which two wings were painted and we photographed people as they stood in front of the drape and reacted to the wings and displayed their instinctive reaction towards being given wings.
A momentary metamorphosis into angelic beings happens for the participants. I believe all people, regardless of gender have this potentiality to become angels in character. Perhaps the modern world and technology has separated people from their essence with things like war and racism, but imagining being an angel even for an instance is pacifying.
The Journey Inward
It is believed that our personal purpose is inseparable from our professional purpose Gordon (2008), and making a decision regarding one’s job is one of the most critical steps in the future success of an individual. Hojat decided to study visual art in a period when the arts, in Azna and other small towns and villages, were ignored and few people knew about its importance. His family did not agree with him either. Under such circumstances, Hojat decided to follow his dream and when I talked to him, he noted the importance of reflection and decision –making:
I believe that thinking and self-reflection are very important. Sometimes people, especially those who have more chances to be alone, reflect about themselves, their life and purpose and this is a very special personal time they spend by themselves. Sometimes, individuals return from this personal journey and find something precious within themselves. Usually people who are more introspective, through self-discovery find more about their true selves and this gives them more awareness which is really important for a successful life.
Since most of the great artists and galleries are in the capital, Tehran and Hojat needs to be in touch with such people and places, he has rented an apartment there. In fact, only in Tehran can you find some of the best things including universities, galleries, private art schools and so on. People in small town and villages are deprived of such facilities and they have to travel or migrate to Tehran to have access to such places. During a summer vacation, I travelled to Tehran to visit Hojat, and in a hot summer’s day, when I got up from a short after-lunch sleep, I found him practicing Persian Calligraphy. When I asked him about the importance of persistence in his success, he noted that it has been very significant to him:
If you want to achieve something, you must try hard. When I look at my past, I dare say that being hardworking played a key role in my success. Therefore, we should strive and persist to fulfil our dreams. When I remember my past , I find that , despite difficulties such as lack of facilities , I never gave up and I kept on working day in day out . Burning the mid night oil was something ordinary for me. The bottom line is that you should find a purpose and be passionate enough to achieve that.
Self-transcendence and Optimism
Teachers have a lot of problems. In general, they are ignored and underpaid and they have a low socioeconomic status. Considering school curricula, the arts have been marginalized in secondary schools and totally ignored in high schools. Despite such conditions and the bleak future for teachers, Hojat does not want to be on the margins. He tries hard to remain optimistic and resourceful. Hope and optimism are important part of his work:
I believe that art is a miracle and by using it I want to make people feel better. Therefore, I try to communicate hope and joy to my audience. Optimism has been considered a key factor in attaining one’s goals. When we reviewed the story of Viktor Frankl together, Hojat emphasized the significant role of optimism and decision making with the following words:
Although Frankl is in prison, his mind is out of prison. He is tolerating torture, but at the same time he is imagining that he is giving a lecture to students. Decisions you make in your life are very important especially those under difficult circumstances. For example, Frankl didn’t go to university and went to the death camps to be in the same situation with his family. Anyone who is optimistic and his mind is not confined just to the physical context, his situation will change some day.
Although grappling with personal and professional problems, one can still be helpful. A defining quality of a good purpose is self-transcendence. Hojat believes that this is a key element in the arts and he added the following comments:
I believe as human beings, if we want to have a better world, we should think about others, consider them in our decisions and plans and have an active role in the community in which we live.”
Going beyond the self can be done through different ways. For instance, when I was teaching in Ashoor Abad (a village near Azna), students did not have access to basic materials, I would buy some tools for them to practice calligraphy and painting. I did my best to encourage them and make them interested in visual arts. I would give them the best paper and asked them to bring me their worst works. As a result, they were not afraid of making mistakes and they enjoyed taking part in my class. The result of this was a mutual joy.
–to be contined