On one fine Summer day, July 9, 2024, a group of enthusiastic Master’s students from the University of Twente started their day. As participants of the Master’s Research Honours programme they would participate in the Apotheosis day, several workshops which indicated the end of of the programme. A few weeks prior, the students were given the opportunity to form small groups, with each group having the chance to organize a workshop based on their own interests and creativity.
The Research Honours programme is an individually tailored, extra-curricular track that offers selected participants additional knowledge and skills in the areas of research management, academic writing and science communication. Through extra courses, training, and meetings, the program supports participants to develop knowledge and skills in the area of academic research and the social context and prepares them for doing a PhD. However, beyond that, the programme also encourages its participants to discover their own path toward their aspirations as future researchers.
That afternoon, Nisa, Annadi, Karisma, Ghusen, and Lukas prepared to conduct a batik workshop integrated with the concept of mindfulness. This simple yet captivating idea caught the attention of the other participants. Batik is a cultural and artistic expression originating from Indonesia. Etymologically, batik consists of two words in Javanese, namely amba, which means wide cloth and titik or matik, which means making dots. Therefore, batik-making entails the act of drawing dots on a wide fabric to create beauty in intricate and highly artistic patterns.
During the session, the event began with a brief presentation to introduce batik as a part of Indonesian culture and art, as well as provide an overview of its various types and histories. Nisa, one of the workshop organisers from Indonesia who delivered the presentation, also explained the production process of batik, which essentially requires not only skill but also patience, precision, meticulousness, and composure. The process of making a batik can function as mindfulness practice, as explained by Lukas, one of the workshop facilitators who is also a psychology student at the University of Twente, in a brief presentation session after Nisa.
The activity then proceeded to the main agenda, which was the practice of making a batik. The participants, consisting of other Research Honours participants, the programme’s board, and some external guests, sat around one big combined table. They were provided with the necessary equipment to make batik, including ink, stamps with various batik patterns, and plain fabric tote bags as a medium for drawing batik patterns. During a period of around 30 minutes, participants were not allowed to communicate with each other and they were expected to concentrate and immerse themselves in their individual work and creativity in batik-making. As a form of mindfulness practice, participants were encouraged to focus on the process of batik making instead of pursuing artistic works in order to be present in the moment.
After the session, each participant was given the opportunity to share their experiences during the batik-making process. For example, one of the participants shared her experience in the workshop, “Initially, I endeavored to create my work to the best of my ability, but it caused me some stress, particularly when what I envisioned did not align with what appeared on my batik fabric. Then, I focused on non-striving as one of the types of mindfulness explained at the beginning of the session, and it truly made me enjoy the process.”
This batik workshop not only celebrated the successful conclusion of the day’s activities but also reflected the end of the Master’s Research Honours programme, which the participants had been working on since February 2024. Throughout the programme, participants learned essential skills in research management, academic writing, proposal preparation, academic integrity and science communication, preparing them for future academic endeavors. The hands-on experiences, such as the batik class, facilitated personal development and a better understanding of combining creativity and mindfulness.
As the program comes to a finish, each participant will receive a certificate of completion to recognize their hard work and devotion. This success not only represents their academic and research progress, but also their path to become thoughtful and innovative future scholars.
Author: Annadi Muhammad Alkaf
