ABOUT ME

About the Project

The topic that was explored for this capstone project was the effectiveness of 10 different art therapy activities on reducing stress as a STEM student. These 10 projects were chosen based on previous literature proving that these art therapy activities effectively reduce stress. This experiment was conducted by a total of five STEM college students and each participant anonymously filled out a google form that served as a pretest/posttest in determining the most effective projects of the 10 that were tested. The final part of this capstone features a pamphlet that is a more fun way for other college students to try out this experiment. This experiment is meant for students who are looking to relieve stress through art. The pamphlet includes a description of all of the activities that were tested with pictures, and a bullet journal to record all feelings and emotions while completing the projects.  

Central Question

The main focus this capstone project addresses is the effectiveness of various art therapy activities on academic and mental stressors faced by STEM students. This topic was addressed by completing an experiment to test various art therapy projects and developing a new and fun way for other college students to try out on their own through a bullet journal. This project was created for the students who enjoy art but have limited materials to complete these projects. 

Literature

A study conducted at Florida State University (FSU) tested their experiment on a large group of college students. Researchers from this FSU study tested 50 different art therapy projects on students. The results from the study indicated that the students' cortisol levels decreased by 50% from the time they began the specific art therapy project in 10 of the 50 projects. (Beerse et al., 2020) The projects consisted of sewing, journaling, meditation, some form of physical activity (either exercise/yoga), listening to music, playing an instrument, coloring, painting, photography, and aromatherapy. Another study conducted at the University of Wisconsin tested similar art therapy projects and found that listening to music, painting, yoga/exercising, and meditation were most effective in reducing stress. (Kim 2017)   

The art inspirations for this capstone project's bullet journal are from Jenny Marie who discussed her journey as a stressed mother and how bullet journaling eased some of that stress and Amanda Lee who created a fruit theme bullet journal that was integrated into this capstone project. (Lee 2018) Some of the ideas and techniques from Jenny's journal that were implemented in this project were was a small calendar with all of the events one needs to attend, a section to track one's mood, habits to start, and a place where to record a list of things from the week that were difficult for the subject. (Marie 2021)

Methods

The 10 different art therapy projects that were tested were based on the 10 effective activities from the FSU study. A mass text to 15 STEM subjects from the University of Maryland was sent to see if they would be interested in performing the experiment to test the effectiveness of these projects, and four of the 15 had agreed to do it. Since the four STEM subjects had limited art resources, they only completed 6 of the 10 activities. These activities included coloring, journaling, listening to music, meditating, exercising/yoga, and photography.

The FSU study had their participants measure their stress on a scale from 1-5 (1 being calm to 5 being stressed) before and after completing each activity which was emulated in this capstone experiment. Ragan found from his art therapy experiment, “Participants involved in the individual and group art projects were given a short survey asking questions regarding the participants’ feelings as well as the effectiveness of the project they had just completed.” (2011) The capstone experiment included a google form that served as a pretest/posttest to record stress levels before and after the art therapy activity and a short reflection about the activity. The reflection included a place to record the emotional and mental state of the participants from completing the activity. All of the responses were kept anonymous in order to find the most effective art therapy projects without any biases.

After finalizing the results, a pamphlet was created that included descriptions of how to effectively complete each of the five art therapy projects and a bullet journal. The bullet journal included those same sections featured in the google form, a place to record anything feelings or emotions about the project completed for that week, a habit tracker, a mood tracker, and a stress tracker for every week. This pamphlet and bullet journal is a more fun way to complete the experiment than what was completed for this capstone project. 

Audience & Impact

The project’s primary audience is college students in the Arts scholars program at the University of Maryland who are looking to find ways to reduce stress through art. However, all students in college from any university or program are welcome to use my pamphlet. As a member of the Scholars program, this project will be very helpful in reducing stress for college students in this program based on the feedback received all year regarding this project. The goal is to help college students find healthy ways in relieving stress through art by creating a plan that requires minimal effort and supplies for students to try on their own time. 

References

Beerse, M. E., Van Lith, T., Pickett, S. M., & Stanwood, G. D. (2020). Biobehavioral utility of mindfulness-based art therapy: Neurobiological underpinnings and mental health impacts. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 245(2), 122–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1535370219883634

Kim, N. (2017). How Art Therapy Can Assist College Students from Diverse Backgrounds in Overcoming Cultural Differences. University of Wisconsin Graduate Thesis.

Lee, A. R. (Director). (2018, July 31). Plan with me | august 2018 bullet journal setup [Video file]. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCDm-805V3c&t=639s

Marie, J. (2021, March 26). (Bullet) journaling through therapy. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://jenny-marie.co.uk/bullet-journaling-through-therapy/

Ragan E. Aaron, Kimberly L. Rinehart & Natalie Ann Ceballos (2011) Arts-based interventions to reduce anxiety levels among college students, Arts & Health, 3:1, 27-38, DOI: 10.1080/17533015.2010.481290

Reid, N., & Case Manager and College Director & Principal - Fraser International College (FIC). 

(2019, August 25). Using art therapy to promote student mental health and wellbeing. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://learningandteaching-navitas.com/using-art-therapy-promote-student-mental-health-wellbeing/

Siegel, K., Lawler, M., Migala, J., Palinski-Wade, E., Revelant, J., Bedosky, L., & Rapaport, L. (2019, March 26). 10 best foods to fight off stress: Everyday Health. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/how-to-reduce-stress-with-diet.aspx

Acknowledgments 

To start off, I would like to thank Harold Burgess and Heather Bremenstuhl for guiding me through the last four semesters of my college career, especially this past year during the completion of my capstone. The curation process was difficult to develop on my own, so their help was greatly appreciated. In addition, completing this project completely remotely is very difficult, but Heather and Harold made it easy to reach out to in order to address any of my concerns and constantly supported me throughout the year. 

I would also like to thank my four STEM subjects who completed this experiment with me. Without your willingness and support, this project would have not turned out as successful as I had planned. In addition, I know this project took some time out of your busy schedule, so I appreciate all of you for sticking to the end. 

Also, I would like to thank my fellow Arts Scholars, specifically those who were in CPSA250 with me. Your support and feedback throughout the year were greatly appreciated, and it was nice to hear from a variety of viewpoints. I hope you can utilize my project in your own lives in order to reduce your daily stressors and anxieties. 

Finally, I would like to thank you, the viewers, for visiting my website and participating in this virtual exhibition! This website is available for you to try out on your own as well as leave any feedback regarding the project as a whole or anything you would like for me to consider in the future. Thank you for spending time reading through my project and browsing through my website!