Visual Gratitude
ABSTRACT
Depression is the opposite of expression. Depression is an overbearing cerebral shadow that results in a psychological imbalance, and hinders one’s ability to understand or control their emotions. Many people deal with depression, to varying degrees, on a daily basis. Although some are affected more than others, when it hits, it hits hard. Within the last few years, dealing with depression has become a major factor within my life. I had recently tried to solve my own depression, and, while doing so, I became more open about it. I would start conversations with my friends and family members who would talk about their experiences with depression, and shed light on how they were able to deal with it. It quickly became apparent to me that one of the biggest problems everyone shared in dealing with depression was the inability to express how one feels when depressed. Frustration and anger would emerge from their helplessness to explain to their family, friends, or doctor how they were feeling on a day-to-day basis. This inner disconnect was the inspiration behind my desire to learn how we, as human beings, can redirect our thoughts and emotions, and communicate through other forms of media to express ourselves and gain a better understanding of what it is we are feeling.
Through various surveys and tests, I set out to see how we express ourselves visually. Similar to art therapy, I wanted to construct a system in which the subjects would create a tangible artifact, which would force them to confront and analyze the source of these emotions, now manifested in physical form. The tests I initially conducted were designed where I would ask participants to look at a selection of images and then provide a quick response on how the visual stimulants affected their emotions. However, I quickly found out that the responses I was receiving were unnatural, and the information was geared towards my own gain and did not benefit the participants. I therefore came up with the “visual gratitude journal” system—a test in which I asked dozens of people to draw three images every day for seven days. The images were to be based on something for which they were grateful, or that made them happy during the day. What I received was a collection of hundreds of drawings, all varying in complexity and clarity, that served as tangible representations of the unique way we all process and communicate our emotions every day.