MY CREATIVE PROCESS

When I started my capstone project, I had very little knowledge of the medicinal and therapeutic value of music. Reading research articles taught me that music is very effective in relieving one’s anxiety (Lu and et al.). What I found difficult was that there was an overwhelming number of research articles each with a distinct finding. It was difficult to choose what articles to read from and summarize their research findings. To overcome this, I read a few articles every week, summarized each one, and created a list of articles with their descriptions similar to an annotated bibliography. Then, I chose a few of them that I would incorporate into my project. 

After doing my research, I started working on my short comic book for my final product. I was not exactly sure how to create a comic book as it was my first time. With the guidance of my advisor, I created a storyboard and wrote a script for my story. Then, I looked at works from professional artists for inspiration. Persepolis comics, a graphic novel written by Satrapi, inspired me to use similar techniques when drawing my own comics. I particularly liked the black and white design of this work, which I incorporated into my own work. Drawing the panels was challenging for me since I was out of practice. Through practice and many revisions, I was able to finish the drawings for every panel.

My project involved many steps and time consuming processes. I had difficulty with time management throughout the semester. However, I was able to overcome that using the pomodoro technique I learned from my faculty advisor. I would divide my work time to 30-minute chunks of very productive work and take 10-minute breaks in between (Memon). This technique helped me meet my weekly goals most of the time. 

References: 

Lu, Guangli et al. “Effects of music therapy on anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Psychiatry research vol. 304 (2021): 114137. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114137

Memon, Masooma. “The Science behind the Pomodoro Technique and How It Helps Supercharge Your Productivity.” Focus Booster Blog, Focus Booster Blog, 18 Mar. 2020, https://www.focusboosterapp.com/blog/the-science-behind-the-pomodoro-technique/. 

Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York, Pantheon Books, 2007.