Month: Apr 2019

Drawn Illustration

I created a drawn visual page after reviewing my pintrest board, focusing on different aspects I liked in order to bring together a few of my current ideas.

Practical development of activity content for magazine

Throughout my research I have come across a range of in theme theory and activity that is directly developing my ideas, I have found most activity can be mindful if we are in a certain state of mind, and so this magazine is about harnessing a mindful state of mind to ripple the effects into everyday life. My research around mortia therapy, kaizen and naikan have links to healthy life style and so are naturally a part of make up of its activities.

I have been exploring my research and was able to contain a variety of helpful processes for our wellbeing,  below are a few I have been experimenting with:

• Visualisation (imagery therapy)
• Meditation
• Learning a new language – kaizen 1 minute exercises
• Physical exercise (stage 4 morita therapy)
• Reflection tasks (Naikan)
• Painting, colouring
• poetry, gardening, cooking etc.

Trials

1.First thought poetry and cut up poetry

I had done this in my previous project but wanted to relive the effects as the act of writing poetry has been very popular in my research for healthy wellbeing, I found first thought writing through Natalie Golderbergs book “writing down the bones” she explains how first thought writing is similar to Zen meditation. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice—”it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind.” and so I feel this would be an appropriate task for the magazine.

 

2.Creative Visualisation

I used a guided tutorial by renowned author Vishen Lakhiani , to carry out this practice, i have learnt a lot about its use for helping people, from finishing a project to helping someone cope and recover from cancer. The video I used is below, I found this was a great method for relaxation and rocket fuel for better change. I am now implementing a two minute practice as I wake up. I feel this research will be great for my cause and practical development.

 

 

 

3.Mindful colouring and Painting

I have spent some time actively consumed in painting, I have produced three works to explore the effects of mindful creativity. I feel doing painting this way holds powerful control over emotional strength. I feel by using swinging our arms and losing ourselves when painting is the best way to do this, my biggest piece to work on was a3 so I swang my arms only catch certain sweeping motions on paper, I found this approach was very relaxing and almost medititive as you become consumed in the colours and form.

 

 

 

4. Learning Something Sew

I have been learning japanaese as part of this project as to exercise kaizen, I have been learning two words a day for the past week and have been able to digest more information than if I sat down for two hours. I feel this method is very important and clearly effective as I am able to identify different letters of the alphabet already. I will definitely be using something to encourage light learning as I am feeling the positivity of fresh information first hand.

 

 

5. Naikan and reflection

Naikan is a term for looking inside yourself and uses the ideas of self-reflection to evaluate truths and harmony in life. I have been light exploring Naikan as it is to mean acceptance of life as it is a good place to start, these

Naikan practice is based on three questions:

• What have I received from …?
• What have I given to …?
• What troubles and difficulties have I caused …?

I found this was actually really effective, using these questions for yourself, friends, family and even work collegues can help us rationalise our feelings about a situation or if anything just help us feel greatful. By not asking questions that relate to what they have done for us we can move focus on to what is more so important, creating a healthier outlook and way of life.

 

6. Meditation

I have been using the words are wands workshop to help me with this as this was one of the tasks used, we were calmed and told to focus on our breath, discipling our mind from wandering and constantly returning back to the breath. I have been practicing the effects of this daily and have definitely felt more able to get my work done and problem solve.

7. Physical Exercise

I have been using yoga and thai chi to practice the effects of this, I feel the benefits from yoga as it has enhanced my balance and strength and feel I am able to harness a body to mind connection which is important. I have been using a book called Yoga Chick: A Hip Guide to Everything Om, this book helped me understand yoga isn’t just an exercise but a way of life similar to what I am currently researching. I believe this actvitity would be a great part of the magazine, as it exercises morita stage 3 which I hadn’t thought about until now, perhaps giving them two poses to begin till the next issue is out.

 

8. Mindful Living

I have been cooking and gardening more often to see how the impacts of such little acts can impact how much we can do even when we are stressed and pre-occupied. I feel this is such an important area as it is dismissed by most as daily living. However after watching a 3 part documentary on the art of japanese living by James Fox on the BBC, I felt inspired to further acknowledge what im doing in the present, for example when making a cup of tea, hear and feel the sound of the water fill the cup, imagine you are being washed over by the water, inhaling the herbal aroma as you feel the steam and warmth radiating from the cup, by living this way we get more out of the outside world, leaving our superficial selves behind.

 

After exploring new abstract approaches to my activity concepts, I thought about previous activity such as drawing the breath, my words are wands poetry workshop and my previous work with individuals with mental conditions in my last project. My experience with these individuals helped me understand how to target and appeal to them and help them want to act through thought. I feel by combining the nature of these exercises with what I have previously learnt, I will be able to design activities that are fun while remaining effective. I will now develop 5 activites from these to trial in a market research.