Screen Print Demo (Part 2)

Last Monday I got to be part of a massive screen printing demo with my Design and Social change class. We were asked to create a design of something that calls for change or action. This could be on any issue we chose. As you can see with my design (albeit not too clearly) I went for the phrase "Heart to Heart". I have always loved being that one person my friends could reach out to in their time of need as well as being a strong believer in having a support system.

This stemmed from not only from being surrounded by friends and family with people who struggle with depression, but also from being an individual who struggles with depression herself. It's tough to reach out when you are struggling with depression. You can feel like talking about what's bothering will either burden others, make them turn away from you (as I have experienced), make them discount your struggle (Ex. "it's only stress" or "it's only a phase"), or that no one cares. It's easy to feel stuck and alone in your struggle, but you would be amazed at how much reaching out helps. It doesn't matter if you are the one struggling or if you have a loved one who is struggling, being there for them and having a "heart to heart" can make a difference. This probably sounds like the obvious thing to do, but it's harder than it seems. Sometimes you just don't know what to say or how to start and that can make the process of reaching out more difficult. However, it's important to know that the first step will be the hardest, as it is full of uncertainty, but you can make that first step easier by slowly easing into the issue (Ex. "how are you?") From there, you can try initiate the "heart to heart".

Now, a little bit about the design. The two gold and blue "double parenthesis" are meant to be the halves of the hearts, coming together as a result of reaching out. The "to" in between the two halves is meant to be the connection between the two hearts. The "to" also has a miniature repeating gold heart pattern going through it and is meant to act as the emotions that flow and connect to help bring individuals together.