Wellness is defined as the “active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health”…
But that definition didn’t sit right with me.
The Research
Survey | I wanted to understand how others perceived health and wellness and how those perceptions influenced their lives. This helped me to look outside my own preconceptions and consider the experience of others.
Research | I analyzed the Dietary and Physical Guidelines for Americans initiatives from the last 20 years. This gave me a different viewpoint on health and wellness and the concept of it being regulated and held to a standard of some sort.
Scrubbing | Lastly I took to the internet and media sources to scrub for images and content that held associations or relationships to health and wellness. This included social media, magazines, blogs, and organizations.
Wellness is a $4.5 Trillion Dollar Industry
So how much does practicing wellness really cost? After reading an article on how to start practicing wellness, it was overwhelming how many products were recommended. I tallied up each mentioned item and product in the article under three different price points. This simply illustrated that even if intentions are well meaning, it doesn’t necessarily translate as such. This article reads as “if you want to be healthy you need to buy these things to be successful”.
Website Proposal
This ultimately culminated in the creation of a roundabout website proposal. The site would open with the definition animation and each definition would lead to a different page. The site encourages users to walk through the cycle of understanding one definition of wellness that could lead to a completely different one and then a different one and so on.
Due to my abrupt departure from my undergraduate experience (thank you COVID-19) a lot of other ideas and exploratory avenues couldn’t be furthered. I hope to continue to revisit this subject as it is still an important aspect of my personal life and something I feel passionate about.
This thesis project taught me how to continue to ask questions and be flexible in my process of making. It forced me to think past the expected and explore new ways of communicating an idea to others.