Exploring the Negative Impacts of Overthinking Through Art

Everyone overthinks to some extent, some more than others, but not everyone can suppress or find a way to unleash the negative thoughts. There are numerous reasons as to why an individual might be hesitant to vent out their emotions. Maybe it’s due to the fear of being judged or maybe they don’t have anyone to show their vulnerable side to.

My overthinking became more negative as I grew up and it made it harder for me to tell others. However, from the few times I managed to open up, I found that talking about it really helps. I want to use this opportunity to show the importance of venting out emotions and that expressing one’s self is not limited to verbally sharing their problems with trusted people. With a decline in my motivation as well as inspiration to paint, I am taking advantage of this project to find my lost passion. Although acrylic paints may not be my favorite media to work with, it is the one I would like to improve on the most.

With these two problems combined, I aim to explore the negative impacts of overthinking and further develop my art skills by creating a painting series inspired by my personal experiences, as a way to advocate the importance of venting out emotions. Communicating my emotions is already hard by itself. However, this project would be highly challenging as I have no experience in using art as a medium to express myself. Painting is also very time consuming. Especially with my perfectionist tendencies when it comes to art, it would take multiple days to complete a piece. Considering the time limit and other assessments that will be given along the way, I would have to overcome those tendencies and manage my time wisely to create quality results that meet the requirements.

Global Context

The global context that this project focused on is Personal and Cultural Expression. Personal expression is emphasized more as the product will be based on my personal experiences. There is no doubt that each person has different worries, things that are bothering me might not be a problem to others and vice versa. Thus I am not using this project to talk about my problems, but rather to highlight the importance of expressing one’s self by creating paintings that explore the negative effects of overthinking. Though it is based on my own experiences, I made sure that the chosen concepts and topics are ones that many can relate to.

Product

As suggested by the goal, the main product of my project is a painting series containing four paintings that explores the negative impacts of overthinking. I made a small booklet as well with a purpose of informing others of the meaning that each painting holds through my perspective. Even then, the paintings are open to free interpretations. Marionette’s Play, the title I have given the series, focuses on the indifference many feel towards overthinking and the control it has over us.

The four paintings included are named after people and objects that can be found in a play: Bystander, Puppet, Accessories, and Backstage. I have incorporated both visible and non-visible connections between the paintings. Titles aside, the other evident connection they hold is the reoccurrence of the colors gray and yellow throughout the series. They have interconnected meanings that I have tried my best to make sure were not repetitive. Many different symbolisms were carefully chosen for an easy yet unique understanding.

The product managed to properly respond to the global context of this project, Personal and Cultural Expression, more specifically on personal expression. I went out of my comfort zone and took the challenge of using the paintings as a media to deliver a message inspired by my personal experiences. Then, I adjusted the ideas to make it more relatable for others to advocate for the importance of venting out emotions.

See my project document below!

Reflection

With the completion of my project, I was able to further develop my art skills as intended and expand my knowledge in communication as well as expression through art. In total, there are two hands in this entire series and to me that is a huge improvement as I would often avoid drawing or painting hands at all causes. I was also able to explore a new art style in Bystander. Compared to my other works that are usually crowded, the four paintings in this series are a breath of fresh air. I’ve wanted to try creating simpler pieces but never succeeded. My knowledge on symbolism has increased as well due to the many symbols used. I’ve put my thinking skills into good use throughout the painting process to solve unfamiliar problems, such as the trouble I had with the sheerness of yellow acrylic paint.

My views on the global context that I have chosen, Personal and Cultural Expression, changed. Expressing myself in a way that won’t confuse others but still fulfilling the criteria was much more challenging than expected. There were times where I had to remove certain aspects of the design to fit in with the requirements. Not forgetting to balance the personal and relatable aspects as this is not just a personal project, but also an advocate for others to not hold their expressions back.

This project has helped me realize how severe the problem is and that it’s not limited to people my age. I believe that I was able to properly satisfy my goal as I’ve explored the negative impacts of overthinking and advocated for the importance of venting out emotions through my product. The road to the completion of the project was no smooth one but it is thanks to all the obstacles that I was able to grow.

IB Learner Reflection

Out of all of the existing IB Learner Profiles, I can confidently say that I was a communicator throughout the entirety of this project. My project itself is about communication, just not in the usual verbal way. I had to use different symbolisms to get my message across to those viewing my paintings. Translating my personal experiences with the negative impacts of overthinking and choosing the ones I figure are relatable for others into works of art with hopes of encouraging people to not bottle up their emotions. This was no easy task and I had to overcome many challenges. In addition, I conducted surveys and had to ask for advice from my peers, family members, and teachers as another form of communication that was required to complete my project.

However, without my reflective and thinker side, none of this would have been possible. I had to constantly reflect on the feelings/message I am trying to deliver to ensure they are not offensive and can be related to. Reflecting on my experiences to narrow them down to ones that are appropriate for sharing has helped me crawl out of my comfort zone. Whenever I encounter a problem, I reflect on what I’ve done wrong, try to remember any past situations where I faced similar problems, before using my critical and creative thinking skills to solve them.

The other attributes were present as well but these three are the most significant ones. Overall, this experience made me a better communicator, both verbally and through art. I managed to reflect on myself and the negative impacts of actions I’ve done in the past (not properly expressing myself) and present (mistakes when painting). The situation I was put into by this project pushed me to utilize my thinking skills to the fullest.