45. The Goodness Of Your Art Project & My Takeaways from 'How To Finish What You Start' by Peter Hollins

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The Goodness Of Your Art Project

Finish What You Start by Peter Hollins (affiliate link)

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Today is actually going to be the first episode of a new podcast series that I’m excited to share with you. I’m working on a fun personal project and I’ll be sharing updates and all about what I’m learning in about monthly-ish episodes on this podcast. I’ll still be doing normal podcast episodes but this will be a new series i’m adding in about monthly ish.

So here is what my project is, and I’m actually just going to read what I wrote as sort of my intro page about it:

I am spending the next year learning about neuroaesthetics, biophilic design, and how aesthetics, both visual and non-visual, can help us as individuals and as a society to overcome wellness challenges. My goal is to become a reliable resource to people and organizations who are interested in improving their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their patients, employees, clients, and communities.

I’ve been fascinated by this topic for many years, since my personal life story to this point is steeped in design used for mental health. I want to take my passion to the next level and offer services in design and consulting, however I’m personally very picky about which experts I trust and I want to see some credibility from their education and experience, and I realized that my own expertise, though marketed well, is filled with bias and might not hold up under a microscope.

I want to really push myself to grow and become an expert in the new field of neuroaesthetics, including educating myself on issues like: Why are hospitals ugly and what challenges go on behind the scenes that have left interior design and patient experience often poorly managed? Why do sex trafficking survivors often return to their abusers, and can research-backed design focused on creating feelings of safety in recovery homes help? How reliable are the statistics around biophilic design and when is it an appropriate solution vs only the solution I like the most?

Of course, I also want to dive into the content that is more fun (for me): the research that is less about the limitations and more about possibilities, like why is music so powerful and how can we use it on purpose? Why do I love the color pink? How did sequins become trendy? How can I design the ideal gym for a great workout? How can employees feel more relaxed at work? How can patients recover more quickly with the help of design?

I searched for graduate programs and ultimately found only one program in the world that met my criteria for this niche interest: The MSc Psychology of the Arts, Neuroaesthetics and Creativity at Goldsmiths University of London. After a brief internal debate I quickly knew a move to London was not in the books for me right now, but perhaps I could create something of my own.

So, I’m beginning a 1 year project. I’m calling it The Goodness Of Your Art Project – A 12 month deep dive into neuroaesthetics, biophilic design, and all the ways aesthetics can increase health, wealth and happiness.