Honors Projects
Bonus Days
Abstract
Bonus Days is a collection of poems, reflections, and artwork that I have created from a series of journal entries which I wrote over the course of several years while actively recovering from, and then later reflecting upon, an eating disorder. My goal in undertaking this project was to meaningfully respond to the harmful portrayal of eating disorders in the media in a way that provides an honest, healthy, and supportive perspective that still appeals to teens seeking validation for their struggles with eating disorders.
Through exhaustive research on the topics of teen psychology, the effects of the media on people with eating disorders, and the unique effects of eating disorders upon social relationships, I have developed an informed perspective which guided the purpose and execution of Bonus Days. Through a combination of process-driven abstract paintings and literature, I have evoked the element of ekphrasis which has made it possible for this project to evolve into something which transcends genres and becomes about my work’s meaning and intention itself.