Media: Zines
Population: Older Adults
Disorder: Depressive Disorder
Reflection:
I created a page for the collective zine expressing my experience of exhaustion. I chose to utilize digital illustration for this experience. I took a design that I had already creating prior to this assignment and put it onto a new page that was the correct page size for the zine. I then added speech bubbles to express external and internal demands that I feel have been placed onto me.
I chose to treat older adults with depressive disorders through group zine-making. My experience with older adults and the assigned readings had an impact on this decision. Working in a group format could be beneficial for older adults with depressive disorders because it is an opportunity for connecting with others. Additionally, creating zines would be a chance for older adults to share their own experiences, leading to them being and feeling heard. Houpt, Balkin, Broom, Roth, & Selma (2016) shared that zines were a way for older adults in a nursing facility to express their ideas and experiences with their community. It provided older adults with an opportunity to express themselves individually, work collaboratively, and reach a larger community.
I do not think that I would have used zines with older adults until reading the article from this week. I think I was under the impression that this population would have no interest in creating zines. This is due to my experience as a young person seeing mostly other young people make zines. This week I was reminded not to make assumptions about specific materials and populations without doing my research.
References
Houpt, K., Balkin, L. “A.”, Broom, R. H., Roth, A. G., & Selma, . (2016). Anti-Memoir: Creating Alternate Nursing Home Narratives Through Zine Making. Art Therapy, 33(3), 128-137. doi:10.1080/07421656.2016.1199243
Leone, L. (Ed.). (2020). Craft in Art Therapy: Diverse Approaches to the Transformative Power of Craft Materials and Methods. Routledge.