research
ON THE EDGE OF BEING
STEP ONE
Learn how to spell exitsententioalism
EXISTENTIALISM DEFINITION
Explores the nature of existence by emphasizing the experience of the human subject; An individual's experience who defines meaning.
KEY POINT IN EXISTENTIALISM
Meaning is defined by each individual's unique experience & existence
The search for meaning is natural & normal
We all crave meaning or the answer to our existence (whether that includes "meaning" or not)
Our definition of meaning ebbs & flows through life
An answer to why are we here on this earth
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RAMBLINGS
Do I design for the universe or the being within it?
What would a design for the universe look like?
You are responsible for dictating your meaning and destiny
a.k.a. we are not the center of the universe so stop acting like it.
Why does it have to be a crisis? Have a conversation instead
Why do people experience an existential crisis and when?
Striving to accept the unknowable
Transforming the existential crisis into the existential experience
Find a way to introduce the question of meaning before it becomes a traumatic event.
A scavenger hunt for meaning?
Need to determine point of intervention in the existential crisis
A QUICK WORD FROM SATRE
We are condemned
to be free.
(1) Always my existence, your existence,
his existence, her existence
(2) Existence is primarily the problem
of existence; an investigation of being.
Dream & aspirations in a "meaningless" world is in the eye of the beholder
_________ is the only thing that means a goddamn
TYPE OF EXISTENTIAL CRISIS
Meaning & Meaningless
Emotion, Experience, & Embodiment
Freedom & Responsibility
Death & Mortality
Isolation & Connectedness
HOME REMEDIES FOR AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS
Research
What's out there?
Familiar Rituals
Baking, Baths, Art, etc.
Impulsive/Risky Decision Making
Buy Car, Quit Job
Talk it Out
Find like-minded people, Therapy, Authority Figure
Escapism
Drugs/Alcohol, Binging (shows, books, etc.)
Internal Exploration
Journaling, Meditation/Prayer
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MORE RAMBLINGS
Find the pain point, Humanize the Experience
"If you can point you can use Macintosh, too."
Make something that's universally confusing and scary less painful
"And who does she want to be?"
"Fear of loneliness is a powerful thing"
Apple
Like Father Is this something?
Do you ever wonder if your life has no meaning?
Are you starting to think what you're just wasting away?
Congrats!
You're having an existential crisis.
IF YOUR BRAIN WAS A MUSEUM
What is the main exhibit?
Who is there in the main audience?
What era is it set in?
What is the driving aesthetic?
What is the most priceless item on display?
Is there a pathway to discovering our deepest intentions and desires? Therefore our way of being?
(Existential prompts in a workbook?)
How do I build a tool that allows users to work through
inner struggles on their own?
SHADOW JOURNALING EXPLORATION
SOME SHADOW WORK PROMPTS
"Whereabouts do you currently feel isolated and how are you dealing with that emotion?"
"What does the word punishment make you think of right now and why?"
"How judged do you tend to feel on a daily basis? Explore how much of that perceived judgment is real and how much is imagined?"
Is there a more creative and imaginative way to word these prompts and make them more creative and something enjoyable?
Can deep introspective questioning also be fun, creative, and lighthearted? Can these have the same result?
SHADOW WORK
An introspective psychological practice that can lead to a more fulfilling life
"Working with the shadow"
(Who? Your dark side, demons, skeletons, secrets)
Leads to moments of awakening that lead to greater authenticity, creativity, and emotional freedom.
Conceived by Carl Jung
A way to take accountability for your actions and take control of destructive patterns
"Increase inner dialogue in the moment, enhanced awareness, increased depth"
Taking in the bad & the good (Yin & Yang)
Compassion - "If it's easy you're not doing it right"
Finding your authentic self is crucial to the journey of finding meaning.
EXAMPLE OF SHADOW ARCHETYPES
King
Tyrant or Weakling
Warrior
Sadist or Masochist
Magician
Detached Manipulator or Innocent One
Lover
Addicted Lover or Impotent Lover
Healing Process:
-
Identify
-
Accept
-
Love
-
Embody
-
Integrate
SHADOW JOURNALING HOW TO
1. Create a space to work
Feel it deeply (get comfy)
2. Identify your shadows
Pay attention to reactions - emotion and physical.
Bring subconscience to the surface to not censor writing
3. Question yourself
Ask why until you feel complete
4. Categorize
Sort through at and identity top shadows
5. Accept: Process Shadows
See the purpose of the darkness
6. Love
Use understanding and compassion meditation
7. Embody & Integrate
Seeds of improvement, you are now more authentic
EXISTENTIALISM IN MEDIA
Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Stranger than Fiction
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
RANDOM RAMBLE
What is the stigma surrounding existential crises?
What age do people experience this?
REASONS WHY
Sudden death of loved one
Job change or loss
Chronic Illness
Moving to a new place
Chronic stress/anxiety
Getting married/divorced
Relationship breakdown
Having a baby
New life phase (adulthood, mid-life, old)
Loss of religious beliefs
Natural disaster
Excessive drug use
Mystical experience
Spiritual Awakening
Prolonged Isolation
(so basically an even that is deeply intertwined with life)
Unhelpful Thinking Style
Life-Changing Event
or Trauma
((so who do I want to target?))
MOTIVATION
To discover your meaning you have to find what drives you
Whom do you believe you answer
to when all this is over?
Is it your heavenly confrontation with God after you lived your life?
Is it simply being remembered in history?
Is it getting through one day at a time?
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE RAMBLES
Existential Crises seem to be a recurring event that continues to torment human beings daily.
How do you create a design project that evolved along with its user?
Able to be reused & revisited, build roots
Must be like existentialism itself - reflecting the humanist aspect of individual responsibility and power
How do you give your own meaning to an app? a book?
It can't be too structured; An individualistic journey
KEY POINT
There is no default meaning,
it is derived from the individual
How do I make this not scary?
PAIN POINT
The thought of creating our own meaning is terrifying and stressful. It implies that all previous sources of meaning (God, Parents, etc.) are inauthentic (which is false). It is ok and healthy to question your situation. Do we even need meaning?
People generally find the existential crisis either bleak or exciting.
Is there a way to make the process more comfortable? How do I find the middle ground?
Strive to accept the
unknowable.
Is this project possible to achieve without converting everyone into existentialists?
All persons coming to this project are presumably already questioning everything.
If they reject the idea that the individual takes priority, they're outta here.
Just exclude these people from the intended audience.
Right?
RAMBLE
Am I here to convince people to live authentically and reject the pressure of mass society?
Or just informing?
Is it even possible to just inform?
Can I turn my audience into societal rebels?
Am I here to convince people to live authentically and reject the pressure of mass society?
Or just informing?
Is it even possible to just inform?
Can I turn my audience into societal rebels?
Pivot from an existential viewpoint to a more open interpretation. Use existential points but these ideas are not the sole basis.
Direct or nudge people in a certain direction, but the individual will decide the final result. Do not force a viewpoint.
Intrinsic Crisis
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Extrinsic Crisis
How did we get here?
What is here?
KEY POINT
Mitigate existing anxiety and proactively inform
LIVING AUTHENTICALLY
"Often there are not answers to one's questions... Untethered... Alone and Lost... Despite having friends, family, job, material acquisitions, and faith." Jason Winkler
You have to live authentically and de-glorify busy living. You have to meet life face to face. We just need to figure out what makes sense in an absurd world. Is it Faith? Goverment? Success? Science?
coping guidelines
DEFENSIVE STRATEGIES
1. Worldview Validation (nat'l identity/political affiliation)
This provides ready-made beliefs and the feeling of being apart of something important and enduring.
2. Self Esteem Enhancement
The key to "psychological security". Aids in believing that you are a worthy person. You surround yourself with like-minded people and reject opposing cultures.
3. Attachment Security
Forming close relationships for protection. This buffers death awareness.
4. Death anxiety
Phobias and obsessions are a way of dealing with death by channeling energy into something more manageable.
5. Addiction
Drugs to distract
SOME WAYS TO DEAL
1. Adjust your viewpoint
2. Keep a gratitude journal
3. Connect with people
4. Practice Mindfulness
5. Redirect your energy
6. Don't dwell on the past
This is only an aha! moment or turning point in your life.
REFRAMING EXISTENTIAL ANXIETY
1. Write down thoughts
To reframe your must know what the pit in your stomach means
2. Fact-checking yourself
"What is the proof I have for this thought?", Stay rational
3. "Is this true?" to "Is this helpful?"
Do not spiral. Worrying is normal, but don't let it take over
4. How would you respond to a friend with the same thought? Spare yourself the same level of compassion.
5. Go for realistic, not positive
6. "Finding the bright side" to "Finding meaning"
Discover what you can get out of a situation before desperately trying to extract yourself
7. Practice thought reframing
8. Know reframing isn't always the best tool.
Try grounding techniques or keep trying things until you find something that works.
POSITIVE NAVIGATION
1. Open your mind and start searching
Ask why! Learn and gather knowledge
2. Take notes
Retain information, connect dots, create insights
3. Get outside and move
Make your body as active as your mind
Walks, Forest bathing, Astronaut overview effect?
4. Be grateful for crisis
The modern world equals guaranteed free-thinking
5. Talk it out, online or irl
6. It's not a race (slow it down)
7. You have a choice to live authentically
You are gifted a blank canvas when choosing to create your own purpose. Spend your life on your masterpiece.
INNER TOOLS
Anchoring
Isolation
Distractions
Sublimination
EXTERIOR TOOLS
Reflection
Setting Goals
Finding Hobbies
Talking to Someone
PROJECT EXPLORATION
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Accept not having the full picture.
SOME BENCHMARKING
EXISTENTIAL CALCULATER
"User is led to believe the wheel is 'calculating' something, but in reality, it is merely a mirror on their own logic." Kelli Anderson
THE HERO'S JOURNAL
The Hero’s Journal helps ordinary people become the heroes of their story by turning their goal into an epic adventure.
POSSIBLE PRINT MEDIUMS
- Adventure Book
- Card Deck
- Informational Booklet
- Volvelle
- Cube Tool
- Kit (include guide, journal, poster misc. humorous existential items)
- An Event - Build brand, experience, goodie bag, graphics
POSSIBLE APP IDEAS
- World Building
- Journaling
- Conversational
- Escapism themed
- Non-sensical Creation (only begins when user interacts in some way)
EXPANDING ON ADVENTURE BOOK IDEA
Journaling dressed up as a journey or adventure
Includes prompt and directions
"If your writing took this direction turn to page 53"
Includes lessons and definitions to inform user every step of the way
Get "character" at the end
Pick up objects on journey that are symbolic life "filters"
Character changes and develops the deeper you go
Possibly print medium with digital counterpart
Digital is a more concise version that can be shared amongst friends?
Basically guided bullet journaling with a theme?