Introduction

If my poem has drawn you in, welcome. The purpose of this chapter is to share insights of using visual grounded theory, a modified version of constructivist grounded theory, incorporating visual data collection and analysis (Ridge, 2020), which I used for doctoral study to investigate professional identity in adult nursing in the UK. Firstly, though an explanation for the poem, which was written as an example of the courage required when trying something new or different, and the opportunities, such as using an unorthodox methodology or being invited to write a book chapter, that present if one is persistent. I am not saying it is easy to create something new, different, or novel, as change is often uncomfortable, but how do we challenge ourselves without it?

With that said, my intention is to provide insight into my experiences of constructing a visual grounded theory. A context to the study, its purpose, and application is provided, alongside justification for decisions made methodologically. A distillation of visual grounded theory's philosophical, theoretical, and methodological origins is provided for insight and application of this little- known methodology, with worked examples of ‘the interconnectivity of tools for analysis’ (Ridge, 2017) from my doctoral study to aid understanding, concluding with a critical reflection of using this methodology. At this point you will have reached the end of this chapter, hopefully with a sense of enlightenment of what this creative method has to offer; with the elephant well and truly eaten.