Adolescents don’t always know how to deal with overwhelming emotions. Some turn to self harm, such as cutting, anorexia, drugs and a multitude of other terrible things to help cope. I have created an experience that allows them an alternative, which helps them to vent their emotions, troubles and ultimately work things out in a more structured, less self-destructive manner. 

Blank book is a visual diary guidebook intended for troubled middle and high school students who are having a hard time transitioning from childhood into adulthood. It is for kids who have an artistic inclination, whether it be drawing or writing. 

Blank Book shows adolescents 30 projects that they can do over the course of a month. The first 20 projects are alternative medium experiments while the final 10 are targeted toward topics such as family, self image and identifying emotions.

This book is a guided experience, but the user can mold it to suit their needs. The limitations built into the first 20 projects will force them to get creative, while an unstructured approach for the final 10 will encourage them to use the creative arsenal they have now learned. By prompting adolescents to sort through and identify their emotions, Blank Book provides an outlet that they can turn to instead of self harm.

This book was created in Senior Thesis. I hope to continue on and make it stronger and see it on shelves. 

In addition to the final guide, I made a process book. I chose to use an accordian sketchbook so that you can view individual spreads, or everything all at once. The ability to fold the pages and look at the beginning and end next to one another is reflective of my creative process.