Dare to daydream – A creative exploration of inner sustainability in relation to child- and adulthood norms and how it can benefit mental wellbeing

The purpose of this project is to explore the concept of inside-out change and inner sustainability in the context of societal norms through the process of how they change from childhood into adulthood. What are they and how do they affect our wellbeing and quality of life?

To challenge the societal norms and become aware of its negative effects on the individual and collective, we need to allow ourselves space to acknowledge the importance of our inner life. The design aims to create a physical (and psychological) space with the help of video art and design, where the audience is given time for the mind to wander, to hopefully inspire and motivate for improved inner sustainability and change from the inside-out.

If we learn to look inwards, to recognize what truly inspires us and make us feel good and alive in our human nature, we can decrease harm, stress and negative impact and make real change.

With a curiosity about inside-out change as a steppingstone, this project is both a
collaborative- and personal exploration of norms, mental wellbeing, and inner sustainability.
It explores change from an inside-out perspective where our wellbeing is central for long-lasting change in the world.

With this project, I want to raise awareness of our own individual wellbeing, to acknowledge the importance of our inner lives as an agent of change. If we learn to look inwards, to recognize what truly inspires us and make us feel good and alive in our human nature, we can decrease harm, stress and negative impact and make real change.

A vital part for the project was the different workshops I held to map out what societal norms we experience and how norms of adulthood and childhood differ and affect us in our lives.

We focused on creative reflections in the format of self-portraits, to get an understanding for how the norms affected us. And the results were clear and high in contrast. We
shared similar experiences in feelings of stress, not being good enough and lack of fulfilling and creative ways to express ourselves. It was clear the childhood norm inspired drawings evoked feelings of hope, inspiration, and freedom of expressions, rooted in a sense of connection to the self, inner stillness, and creative ideas.

The discussions made it clear that the societal structure we live in as adults, are not very
mindful of aimless creativity and time and space to explore that side within us. Allowing ourselves to daydream and be creative was what stood out the most during the process of the project, both in the workshop and discussions in relation to the different norms. It sparks joy, imagination, and inspiration for many aspects of our daily lives and was seen as something beneficial for mental wellbeing.

What was missing? Both the acceptance of self in regard to daydreaming, and a space where this could be highlighted and inspired. I wanted to create a designed artistic response to what daydreaming could be, with the help of a multimedia projection to visually represent both the mind that wanders, but also recognizable imagery of nature and sounds to help the viewer become immersed in the video projection.

By laying down to view the work, the audience are in a position where rest and relaxation feels natural, hopefully bringing them a deeper sense of daydreaming and allowance for the mind to wander.

The video itself also acts as a self-exploration of my own creativity and acceptance of allowing myself to mindlessly create without judgment and to go with the flow of my intuition. Just like what we had discussed and wished we all could do more of.