The Researcher-As-Obstacle: A methodology for the study of creativity while it happens

Abstract

This article introduces the Researcher-As-Obstacle (RAO) framework, a methodology enabling the study of the creative process as it unfolds. Traditional research in creativity psychology minimizes researcher interference to maintain authenticity, primarily using post-factum interviews. In contrast, the RAO approach situates researchers as “obstacles” within the artist's creative environment, providing close access to the artist's “creative engine,” the underlying creative dynamic. Researchers intervene in real-time to capture shifts in pre-reflexive gestures and emerging meaning before they become conscious or verbalized. Drawing from anthropology and psychology, this framework emphasizes the value of researcher presence as a structured obstacle. This approach offers researchers a powerful tool for capturing creative processes in real-time, rarely accessible through traditional methods, by granting artists a finer awareness of their creative dynamics. This awareness can also serve as a valuable resource in art-based contexts.