Our Anxiety Monsters
Master's Thesis: Anxiety Monsters Data Collection & Analysis
Master's Thesis: Anxiety Monsters Data Collection & Analysis
For my thesis project I focused on anxiety and stress. This work created a tool where people can visualize and share their personal anxieties using a form of creative distractions - art making to distract.
This work was informed by: methods of relieving negative feelings (sadness and anger) using creative art making and designing for mood regulation. I researched methods people use to relieve anxiety and ways to foster creativity.
Using this information, research into prior design work, and relief techniques including experimentation (with Play-Doh, drawing, short film making, and more), I ultimately created a web application that allows people to contribute their personal anxiety monsters and share them anonymously, or destroy them.
The web application asks “What is Causing Your Anxiety?” and then gives one minute to Draw It As A Monster before it is sent to a shared monster horde.
The full thesis is available on ProQuest.
During testing people focused on creation only when they were confronted with a strict time limit. Overall a specific prompt (a single unambiguous question) that requires the use of a skill based activity (such as drawing) with a strict time limit removes the fear of not being qualified to create using that method.
The monsters that were generated using this web application provide interesting insights into the fears and anxieties of people across the world and the growing singular culture that we are creating. Below are some categories that I discovered when analyzing the monsters.
Themes
Some Visual Similarities
