{"id":39,"date":"2025-02-04T05:05:34","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T05:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/?p=39"},"modified":"2025-02-18T05:49:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T05:49:26","slug":"artist-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/artist-statements\/artist-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"Hack 1: Marble Mood Board"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In developing my Makey Makey hack, I sought to explore how play is integrated into our daily cultural practices, with a particular focus on the realms of self-help and wellness. This project emerged from my personal experience: while I have never naturally gravitated toward \u201cgames\u201d or \u201ctricks\u201d as a means to improve my mood or mental state\u2014preferring instead the reflective nature of journaling or deep conversation\u2014I recognize the immense market and cultural appeal these self-help games hold. My experiences with such tools have been paradoxical; while they often facilitate introspection and self-awareness, they can also serve as a stark mirror reflecting past struggles. For example, features like Apple\u2019s mental health section in the Health app invite users to track their emotions daily<\/a>. Initially, this can be a beneficial act of self-reflection, yet over prolonged periods marked by stress or burnout, it can feel like a competition\u2014a performance where one \u201cwins\u201d only when already happy, and \u201closes\u201d when the chart indicates otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"apple<\/a>
Apple’s Mental Health Tool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Inspired by the readings of Huizinga and Caillois, I decided to ground my project in a deliberate contradiction: using a seemingly light-hearted and non-serious medium to address the gravely serious topic of mental health. Huizinga\u2019s discussion of the fluid boundary between play and seriousness (as noted on page 103) provided a theoretical framework that resonated deeply with my intent. I found it fitting to adopt a non-serious visual and scoring system\u2014a deliberate aesthetic that disguises the heavy undercurrents of self-assessment and mental wellbeing. In this way, my hack becomes a playful yet pointed commentary on the inherent contradictions of self-help culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Caillois\u2019s ideas further influenced my work, particularly his notion that play occupies a \u201cpure space\u201d separate from the production of material goods and that it is fundamentally unproductive (Caillois 125-128). Many self-help games, by contrast, are designed with the explicit goal of producing something tangible\u2014namely, an improved state of wellbeing. This dichotomy troubled me. I observed that such tools, while marketed as mechanisms for self-improvement, can inadvertently lead to feelings of failure when one\u2019s emotional state does not meet the \u201cwinning\u201d criteria. To embody this tension, my hack simultaneously claims to offer help and yet reveals itself as an impersonal and potentially damaging device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In designing the project, I played with various dimensions of play as categorized by Caillois\u2014most notably, agon and mimicry. The element of agon is evident in the way my hack can be misinterpreted as fostering toxic competition among users, pitting friends against each other in a contest of who is the \u201chappiest.\u201d Conversely, the aspect of mimicry is reflected in how the digital component of the game seeks to externalize inner thoughts and feelings, transforming them into tangible objects or representations for each day. Additionally, the element of alea, or chance, underpins the game\u2019s recognition that life is inherently unpredictable\u2014acknowledging that no one is to blame for having an off day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The physical manifestation of my project\u2014a board with a minimalistic interface\u2014was crafted with intentional simplicity. Initially, I toyed with the idea of a vibrant, colorful design. However, I eventually opted for a more restrained, colorless representation. This decision was deliberate: by stripping away the distractions of color and ornamentation, each symbol on the board is allowed to speak for itself. The act of interacting with the board\u2014reaching up when feeling high and reaching down when feeling low\u2014embodies the raw, unadorned actions that underpin our emotional experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"sketch<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"board<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"board<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"game<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"mid-game<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"week<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"game<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The accompanying digital game maintains this minimalist aesthetic. Its rudimentary look and flat scoring system, complete with emotionless summary messages, serve as a stark commentary on the coldness of \u201cwinning\u201d and \u201closing\u201d cultures, particularly in the context of mental health. The game\u2019s design underscores the often impersonal nature of self-help tools, highlighting how an overemphasis on productivity and measurable outcomes can detract from the genuine, messy process of emotional well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, my project is a meditation on the interplay between play and mental health. By subverting the conventional expectations of self-help games, I aim to provoke a critical reflection on how we conceptualize and pursue happiness. Through this playful yet critical lens, the hack challenges us to reconsider the cost of equating emotional wellbeing with a game\u2014a game that might promise self-improvement but, in its very structure, risks reinforcing harmful narratives about success and failure in our personal lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited<\/summary>\n

Caillois, Roger, and Norbert Elias. \u201cThe Classification of Games.\u201d Sport: Readings from a Sociological Perspective<\/em>, edited by Eric Dunning, University of Toronto Press, 1971, pp. 17\u201339. JSTOR<\/em>, http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.3138\/j.ctt1gxxrtw.9. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: A Study of Play-Element in Culture<\/em>. Routledge, 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cLog Your Moods and Emotions and Take Mental Health Assessments.\u201d Apple Support<\/em>, support.apple.com\/en-us\/105000. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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In developing my Makey Makey hack, I sought to explore how play is integrated into our daily cultural practices, with a particular focus on the realms of self-help and wellness. This project emerged from my personal experience: while I have never naturally gravitated toward \u201cgames\u201d or \u201ctricks\u201d as a means to improve my mood or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artist-statements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67,"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions\/67"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lexifletcher.dcreate.domains\/DIG401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}