So I tried out the porn abstraction process I’ve been developing on some mums yesterday and happily it went really well. The process was easy and accessible and really enjoyed by the participants. I steered clear of having too much structure to allow for good feedback and to just let the artistic process breathe and speak for itself. The outcomes were very cool and they really enjoyed it as well as backing up the objective that having a physical making activity helps to combat any nervousness or embarrassment by taking away some eye contact as well as enhancing active listening. I mentioned some of the headings for conversations I had taken from the porn literacy program framework but actually it soon became evident that as parents those lines of enquiry weren’t as specifically relevant (since the program was designed for high school students) but has given me a much clearer idea of what should perhaps be included instead. As usual I can tell already that there is a lot of important info to cram into the discussion so management of that needs to be thought about so the conversation doesn’t stay at too surface a level but isn’t also overwhelming. This will partly evolve in the doing of the intervention and requires an element of reading the room at the time.
Interestingly the women participating actually spoke very freely, honestly and personally about their own experiences of sex and masturbation (stating the artistic process really helped them feel comfortable to do so) and I wasn’t expecting them to get so personal so quickly which I was very honoured to be a part of. It’s very reassuring to know the abstraction process works and was met so warmly and also to do this work with people who don’t really know me or my background all too well as I’ve had concerns about how this may affect the outcomes of previous (and therefore future) interventions.
One of the participants gave really helpful feedback afterwords about her conflicted feelings on sharing conversations about her personal sex life without her partners consent or just because she feels she wants to keep it private ( completely fairly) and it’s made me consider the idea of a combined use of both making as well as looking at art imagery because I think the most successful part of the previous interventions was the use of external imagery giving everyone a way to not speak about things too personally to begin with. It helped them distance themselves from the conversation and then re-enter at their own pace and with their own boundaries, creating a safe space for the participants to share. It has also sparked my imagination again around the idea of creating something for partnered parents to use at home on their own. Such helpful feedback.
All in all a good start and feeling more confident in the evolution of this porn based intervention.