Pick a question
You don't need all of them. You need one.
A tiny research project is four things: a question you care about, a way of noticing, a record, and an end date. It runs for a while, and then it stops. It does not have to be useful — it is better if it is not.
Filter by the kind of attention a question asks for, or by how long you want to give it. Open one to read it properly, then start it. If none of them is your question, write your own at the bottom.
Oral History
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Where the Names Came From
Who decided, and what were they hoping?
Collect the origin story of every one of your friends' names. One at a time, as you see them.
8 weeks · writing
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The Recipe, Narrated
What is in the hands that isn't in the recipe?
Cook a family recipe while the person who taught it to you talks you through it. Record the whole thing.
4 weeks · voice notes and photographs
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First Impression
What did I look like before we met?
Ask up to five friends what they thought of you the first time. Record the answers. Don't defend yourself.
4 weeks · voice notes
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A Skill in the Family
Who knows how to do this, and how did they learn?
Interview an elder about one skill your family has. Record it. Let them go off-topic.
4 weeks · voice notes
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One Question, Five Friends
What happens when the same question meets five different lives?
Ask five friends the same unusual question. Record the answers. Don't lead them.
3 weeks · voice notes