Susan Day is an arts therapist practitioner, educator, author, and artist. Being creative and sharing the power of art with others is a dream come true for her. Susan is also passionate about helping peo
ple with trauma, and she has extensive experience in the disability sector, takes an interest in pet care, and has trained hundreds of dogs using her own positive, reward-based method.
She visited the Writing & Editing podcast, where she explained the ins and outs of conducting research for a nonfiction manuscript. She graciously agreed to be interviewed for this blog and shared some of her insights into her own research, the benefits of research, and why it’s important to be invested in your manuscript’s main topic.
What inspires your research?
When it comes to writing my books and researching them, my inspiration, overall, is to find out how the human brain ticks, and how art and mindfulness can change it for the better. Being able to express yourself through any form of art while being in a mindful state, has a powerful effect on developing a Zen-like state of calmness and positive energy that transcends the normal human experience, and builds emotional resilience.
A deep passion drives me to understand my topic and the research I conduct reflects this. When creating my latest book, Building Emotional Resilience in Preteens, I knew that I had to get it right from the start. There was no point stating that I believe parents should do ‘this’ or it would be great if parents did ‘that’ to help their preteens without providing facts and evidence to support my claims.
While I consider myself to be a well-read practitioner in the field of mindful arts therapy, I don’t believe I know everything. If reputable psychologists and scientists have discovered how art and mindfulness can assist an individual to build emotional resilience, then I’m going to share their findings with my readers to further validate what I have experienced anecdotally. 
Why is it important to use the original source?
This is a question of validation at a higher level. There are a lot of pseudo-experts online that share others’ research and it would be easy to quote these in my books. However, I prefer to use the original scientific documentation. That way, I can read the facts for myself and there is no room for misinterpretation. I am also confident that the facts I am sharing have been proven and are based on exacting scientific research. As well, this approach allows me to see what other research was done in the same field. I have often found myself going from one article to another, discovering more and more facts that I have been able to use in my books. This allows me to further prove that mindfulness and art therapy can change lives because science has shown this to be the case and it is not just feel-good, mumbo jumbo.
How does your research differ when your audience are parents and caregivers and not the target of your book?
When I wrote my latest title, I was speaking to parents and carers and not the preteens themselves. This was a different approach than books I have created in the past where the reader was directly my target audience. When you write a book that speaks to the reader, there might not be a need to provide so much concise information. This is due to the fact that the reader has already ‘bought’ into the ideas you are sharing because they have gone ahead and purchased your book. They might have read the blurb, considered the topic has spoken to them in some way, and already have an open mindset to the book’s message. However, with my latest book I knew I had to reach the parents and caregivers on one level, make the information relevant to them and then show them how it can be used to help the preteens in their life. I knew that I had to convince my reader to share the information I was providing with someone else. This meant that I had to prove to them that what I was stating was not only important, but it had to be written in such a way they could share it with another person who would benefit from it.
How does your approach to research differ when you are creating art therapy activity books?
When I create art therapy activity books, I keep the language succinct and straight to the point. I set out the instructions clearly, and list whatever materials are needed. I also explain why the activity is important and how it will help the reader. Each activity is followed by a page where questions prompt the reader to reflect on what they experienced while they were doing the activity. I do all the activities myself to test them and see if they do what I claim they do. This is another aspect of research I conduct which is very important to the credibility of my books.
When I am writing non-fiction books that are not activity based, I use the writing and research experiences I honed during my university years. The information might be similar to my activity books, but the way it is laid out and presented is definitely at a higher intellectual level. This, along with the research I have conducted, validates what I am saying and reassures the reader of the truth behind my claims.
What title has pushed you to go above and beyond when it comes to research?
The subject of building emotional resilience in preteens is very dear to my heart, hence the long time I have spent researching and editing my book. While my other books took a great deal of time to create and research too, I personally believe that as a society, we need to focus on supporting this vulnerable section of our community, and therefore, my book needed in depth research conducted at a high level.
Far too many teens take their own lives, and the amount that attempt suicide is so high we should all be concerned. It is also a dangerous time for careless alcohol, drug and sex experimentation. The consequences of which can have a devastating and life-long impact on their lives. There are many ways to stop this and support preteens and teens, but I believe at the heart of these issues are feelings of lack when it comes to self-worth and the inability to regulate emotions. This is why building emotional resilience in preteens is so important. If we can help them build their emotional resilience before they encounter many of the hardships of adolescence, our preteens and teens will face a brighter future. With this as my goal, I knew I had to produce a book that was so professionally researched and written, it would help support parents and caregivers to empower the preteens in their lives.
What advice do you have for authors who want to write nonfiction?
Research can be dry, time consuming, and to be honest, boring – dare I say! However, if an author approaches it with the same passion that drove them to want to write their book in the first place, I’m sure that, like me, they will become excited and empowered by the research they do. I definitely get a buzz when I discover new research about the power of art therapy and mindfulness. It’s like the universe is validating what I know in my heart to be true. And when I discover research that contradicts my ideas, I know that there is much for me to learn and that it is important to recognize this and share it with my audience. In truth, I am grateful that all researchers are working towards the truth, and I feel privileged to be able to share their work in my books whether or not it validates what I believe.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my passion. It was a fun interview.