States of Mind- Mindfulness: Using the seasons as a metaphor to visualise emotional wellbeing in
young adults
young adults
For my final Master's project, I considered the problem that according to NHS wellbeing research (2016), 13.3% of 16- 19 year olds and 15.8% of 20-25 year olds have suffered from anxiety in the UK. Also 92% of students say they have experienced feelings of mental distress and 20% of university students consider themselves to have a mental health problems. As I am a part of this age group, and most relevant to it, I decided my work should be targeted to this said audience. More
accurately, for young adults in the age gap of 16- 25-year- old.
The initial idea is to approach the young adult’s audience through diverse visual ways creating series of artworks, using traditional printmaking. The series of artworks consist of details of the four
seasons observed by the creator (me) and the image of the person incorporated into them. In that way, I connect the studies learned through my research into this project for a clearer outcome. The aim for the project is to communicate negative emotions, by engaging the audience on a higher level of experience, than simply informing them how to deal with the problems, unlike most of the informational wellbeing leaflets around us.
The reason for using the seasons is because they are the natural year cycle of the earth. The artworks are produced in an abstract way creating a journey through the seasons, which represents wellbeing as a mental cycle, that has its ups and downs. Another reason is because us as humans live in these seasons, we have knowledge and associations for them. In this project, they are used as a visual tool expressing that as the season changes the state of mind does as well. Also, they are a literal representation of the moment we live in.
accurately, for young adults in the age gap of 16- 25-year- old.
The initial idea is to approach the young adult’s audience through diverse visual ways creating series of artworks, using traditional printmaking. The series of artworks consist of details of the four
seasons observed by the creator (me) and the image of the person incorporated into them. In that way, I connect the studies learned through my research into this project for a clearer outcome. The aim for the project is to communicate negative emotions, by engaging the audience on a higher level of experience, than simply informing them how to deal with the problems, unlike most of the informational wellbeing leaflets around us.
The reason for using the seasons is because they are the natural year cycle of the earth. The artworks are produced in an abstract way creating a journey through the seasons, which represents wellbeing as a mental cycle, that has its ups and downs. Another reason is because us as humans live in these seasons, we have knowledge and associations for them. In this project, they are used as a visual tool expressing that as the season changes the state of mind does as well. Also, they are a literal representation of the moment we live in.
The project consists of 14 artworks which are to be all seen together, in the right order. All of the prints represent details of the seasons in an abstract way, featuring the image of a person incorporated in them. Each artwork has a short title to put the emphasis onto the state of mind visualised.
