Cheyenne's Blog – Uncertainties, asking better questions and making the world a better place with creative thinking

Last week I reached out to three Vastu Shastra experts. As all of them, fortunately, have responded. Consequently, I created five questions in order to find out more about how the Indian science of Vastu Shastra could positively contribute to hospital environments.

1. How could Vastu science encourage spaces for healing within a hospital environment?
2. How easy would it be to implement Vastu on a low budget?
3. What are the key essential elements for relaxation in Vastu?
4. How does Vastu affect physical and mental well-being?
5. How soon could patients begin to see the effects of Vastu in their lives?

Strengths:

-Shorter hospital stay for the patient

-Gaining the feeling of home even when not surrounded by family and friends

-Having an escape space within a depressing environment 

-Healing with supportive methods besides medical pills 

Weaknesses: 

-Can be provocative and achieve the opposite effect and make people more anxious if they have a specific disorder/illness

–Are there enough rooms in existing hospital environments? This could reduce space in wards for personal time e.g. towards end of life, patients on machines

-Patients may not feel motivated and too weak to engage in space

Opportunities:

-Integrating this idea around Europe and internationally 

-Working with charities and partners to make it a worldwide project – collective

-Can work well on social media platforms to encourage community engagement

Threats: 

Existing arts programs such as Imperial Health Charity:

• https://www.imperialcharity.org.uk/arts
• https://www.imperialcharity.org.uk/about-us
• This concept may already exist with traditional methods such as arts & crafts

Explanation of the above plan that was created during this week’s class:

This task of drawing our journey so far in class should help us reflect on what we have come across so far and what we experienced also related to our feelings while facing difficulties.

On the top left, my journey started and this was approximately during the time of Box of Uncertainties, when my focus was mostly on how to enhance concentration or regain it back while studying. At this point, I experimented with images, sound, and the connection to emotions by associating images with childhood in order to feel the comfort from back in the day. I realized the connection to childhood worked best with my participants but I started doubting if this integration isn’t innovative enough and if this is a topic I truly want to work on until the end of this year. As my interest was always based around healing, I reflected on which institutions are concentrating on this matter and need advancement at the same time. Hospitals were one of the first few thoughts that I came across and immediately found interesting, as I see many current issues in the healthcare system and within hospital institutions. I brainstormed what easy and affordable options I could implement into it to make the healing process and environment more enjoyable and pleasant and remembered my recent projects when I used simple and accessible tools to advance concentration. I tried to think of similar tools and believed light can be a successful form to boost healing within non-stimulating environments. Other applications besides light could be plants or foreign sciences from countries in Asia. This inspiration came from having a conversation with an expert with Indian roots, who introduced me to the science of Vastu Shastra. Another expert who works in art direction advised me to create a room in which projections get shown. This made me think progressively of connecting creatives with traditional sectors and how this can innovate the process of healing within hospital environments. This would only be achieved by testing and trying different art forms with diverse interventions on people.

For me personally, this is a point within the project that is most terrifying and connected to fear, as I will only get the best results by working with different generations and approaches that might not always work out. Nevertheless, I see and am aware of that innovation will only happen by failing and not always knowing what will happen or be my next step.

On Monday I was able to share my progress with my tutor, such as my interview with an art director (which can be found on one of my recent blogs) and research about light artists, such as Robert Irwin, Mary Corse, and Keith Sonnier who all have a different approach towards playing with light. Some artists have a more architectural approach towards it such as considering how light streams inside a building as well as some works reminded me of the anti-depressant lights that can be used at home.

https://www.news24.com/life/wellness/body/condition-centres/depression/about-depression/light-box-might-help-nonseasonal-depression-too-20151119

I started doing my research more about mental disorders too, as I was advised by the dragons. I found that bipolar disorders can be well treated by taking stress off of the patient, for which reason I believe such patients can especially benefit from my future integration at hospitals, as my different light forms intend to reduce stress.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders

After going through my list of research questions with my tutor, I tried to focus more on the fact not include any answer in my question, to be able to work more freely with it.

After brainstorming we came to the conclusion that this could be an interesting starting point for a research question:

How can creativity be incorporated as a healing element in hospital environments?

Additionally, I mentioned the different charities that have potential and that I can reach out to for an interview, which are:

Home

-Create Arts Org

http://artsocial.uk/

-Arts Social Foundation

Further advise I received was to start considering in what exact quarter of the hospital it is most important in to integrate my idea and to start doing a SWOT analysis to support my project. This will help to identify any risks, I might have not thought of yet.

For my early intervention, I could start to think of questions that can be asked before and after the healing experience intervention.

With this, people’s mood, creativity, and impact on healing can be tracked, by seeing how they act, react and feel during and after the experience.

Ideas for an intervention could be to give out clay to the participants in the new environment I created and see how creative they are compared to a regular setting.

Another plan could be to just concentrate on people’s feelings while experiencing color and light.

On the 19th of April, we were able to present our work to two industry experts to get new and inspiring opinions and feedback from professionals who work in different sectors. I found this personally very helpful, as I was able to train my presentation skills and show my work to for me unknown people. This will be supportive for any future profession, as this makes me imagine what reality might look like apart from the academic aspect.

At first, I thought it will be difficult to connect to the dragons as my project is related to a different sector compared to what the visiting experts do and are specialized in. Nevertheless, I was able to get insightful feedback, such as thinking about what exact group I want to support and approach with my project within hospital environments. They suggested looking into specific mental illnesses and what can help and assist people who have to live with them. This idea came from me talking about light methods that can be relaxing and can lower mental illnesses and was a point I didn’t consider until it was mentioned by the dragons. I found with researching more about this, my project can get more niche and interesting in the future. Additionally, I was advised to decide on a certain country for this project, as circumstances vary from country to country.

Finally, reviewing my peer’s projects led to me thinking about problems inside and outside the UK, that I haven’t considered and reflected on in the way it was presented and certainly broadened my horizon.

For this week’s presentation and project delivery ‘The Change I Want to See’, we met in our tutor groups with Cecilia and all shared the problems that currently affect us or others around us.

It was interesting to listen to other people’s projects in the group as issues in their home countries were addressed, which were in some cases, also really personal to them. Hearing about this made me think how privileged I am in some ways as in their home country they do not get equal freedom as I might experience in Germany or the UK.

I also listened to my peers’ past work experiences, which gave me an insight into how communities in different sectors work around the globe and what they have to battle with, which often is being taken for granted in many European countries. I was able to compare this and realized how workers in Asian countries are being challenged in ways such as staying up much longer, which a German worker cannot imagine in this way, as in most cases everyone is leaving work by the clock. 

For my own presentation and work which was focussed on healing and relaxation within hospital environments, I was able to get supportive feedback, such as taking into consideration if this will be publicly or privately conducted, as it would depend on how much could be implemented in the hospital rooms and what budget would be used. 

The idea arose that a collaboration with the artists ‘’Teamlab’’ could be a potential as mentioned in my presentation. 

To begin with, I could consider doing an interview with one of the artists of Teamlab, to see what is feasible and what other ideas they might have that can be inspiring for this project, as well as not become too complicated to recreate within a hospital environment. To create those hospital rooms, a collaboration with a charity could also be taken into consideration. In addition, one of my peers mentioned a charity from her own country Spain, which sends mothers to hospitals to support children who are orphans or have no one to talk to. This was an interesting point as it addressed one of the issues within hospital spaces, which is the lack of a support person. 

We also discussed the lack of resources in hospitals, and even if they have access to resources they are not utilizing them effectively. 

After reviewing my project we also highlighted the importance of deciding on a country, as each country is different within hospital environments. In my case, it would most likely be the countries I personally have access to which are Germany and the UK. 

My tutor also made me consider the importance of being sensitive with patients and mindful when I want to consider interviewing them, as they might be in a fragile state. 

I was advised to reach out to charities and to potential artists, such as light artists for instance, and to examine what exists within the NHS already and what doesn’t yet or what exists outside of it. Then from there, I could locate myself within this existing environment. Finally, I would dive into different sciences for my secondary research that can be supportive to medical science, such as my recent investigation into ‘Vastu Shastra’. In addition to that I would like to do an interview with a Vastu expert in order to find out how they could see an advancement within hospital environments. 

After the tutorial, I was able to do an online interview with an art director who specializes in film, writing, and image. For her, I prepared the following questions:

1. What is the potential for creatives to provide healing spaces for patients in hospitals?
2. Why is this necessary?
3. How would you add your skills to spaces?
4. What calming methods could you implement?

I received the following answers:

1. 
   Creatives can introduce a variety of methods into spaces from painters, to sound artists and poetry. All these elements could be infused at low-cost budgets to provide healing spaces for patients.
   
2. 
   I believe this is necessary, as at present sound and visual interactions can be very draining in hospitals. If there are specific rooms for healing then it is a moment away from the disturbance to apply modes of relaxation.
   
3. 
   My skills are managing design teams across film, writing, and imagery, hence I could possibly explore projections and reels for patients to watch that are similar to gallery experiences.
   
4. 
   I feel sound is very healing so I would consider implementing this into imagery and film.  

This was really helpful for my research and a good start, as she provided me with the idea to create an engaging room outside the actual hospital rooms, just within this environment that everyone in the hospital would have access to. In this engaging room, she envisions projections on walls to showcase film or imagery. This could be supported by sound, as this is a tool she personally finds useful to calm her down during her work and has a healing effect on her. She visualized how this could be applied to hospital rooms too and could also be kept on a lower budget.

Inspirational images of projections:

I have been interested in the topic of healing in different environments. I started to examine and think of institutions and public spaces which require a change in relation to healing and relaxation (e.g. schools, workspaces, etc). I decided to focus on regeneration in hospitals as these institutions are faced with many simultaneous issues, such as the smell of strong cleaning products, intense sights, f.e. dark walls, sounds of other people in the room, etc. Patients have to deal with an unbalanced diet, restricted visiting times for relatives, and lack of room for animals, as well as lack of a person that has an empathic impact on patients, (as doctors and nurses often cannot extend the time and attention to talk to hospital visitors). These matters have a negative effect on the state and progress of healing. Within such a gloomy environment it is tough to feel good about yourself regardless of good or bad health. 

In this context, I began to brainstorm how to solve these problems, or at least start to resolve a few of the mentioned points with the assistance of creative professionals, such as drama therapists, light and sound artists, and/or artists who work with color through a healing approach. As this problem affected anyone under the banner of a patient, there was no target generation to consider initially.

Many children and teens often spend most of their time alone in a hospital, as their parents have to be at work and their friends at school. The elderly, commonly have fewer regular visitors which made me wonder whether happiness can remain in hospitals at all?

My vision is to encourage people who feel alone, depressed, and do not have enough care with applications to stay strong and positive. 

In fact, sometimes hospital rooms do the opposite of what is intended and can make patients even sicker through sights and smells.

Patients in many cases only have a view of concrete walls and without nature, which means natural sunlight is lacking in their rooms. One study proved that patients who had access to a view with trees had to remain for a shorter amount of time at the institution than people who viewed a brick wall. Overall, it shows that there isn’t enough support at hospitals to encourage relaxation (Khullar, 2017). In addition to this, only images or videos of nature, meaning the imitation of it, is good for the heart rate, blood pressure and can lead to less anxiety (Khullar, 2017).

As a starting point, I researched into applications and proposed simple agencies which could be implemented such as certain light methods to create atmospheres that can work to relax and create more peace (LLC, 2020). Light can even work against depression, heal and make people feel safer in their environment. Colors, as well as intensity of light, plays an important role within this process, such as blue for calming, and the effects of purple for mental illnesses. Low and warm-intensity light of specially chosen colors works supremely to create a composed space (Cortiana, 2019). Moreover, I investigated a few methods for evidence of background research, such as ‘Vastu Shastra’ from India, which is a science that can be healing. It is certainly not replaceable with medical care but can work as a support system in addition to it (Khandelwal, 2022). Specific directions for constructing and choosing the exact colors for your interior, f.e. walls, and furniture are examples of factors that constitute Vastu  (Sethi, 2022).

Going forward with this project, I would carry out interventions with diverse age groups that could take change by working with different light intensities, colors, sounds, and images of animals or nature or work with traditional practices, such as Chinese Feng-Shui or the similar Indian variant Vastu-Shastra. Artists that I can take inspiration from would use nature or overall relaxing methods e.g. Teamlab who want to connect people with each other and promote finding an inner balance, by recreating nature (Schneider, 2020).

Teamlab also try to connect people to the planet (Teamlab, n.d.). Interjecting these simplistic methods would be appreciated by the institution stakeholders as there could be creative approaches to low-budget solutions.

This project is challenging my skill set as this is a disregarded problem that affects people on a large scale considering many governing bodies. The main solution to consider is to provide creative angles within a low budget to improve well-being. I believe this is a starting point for a strong MA project investigation as there are many opportunities to explore healing and well-being within hospital institutions. As hospitals are a provider of care, the research methods will aim to assist the values of the organization.

Research methods that I would consider for my investigation, would be surveys including conducting interviews with healing experts and people who are in hospitals on a daily basis. Finally, an online focus group with a mix of generations would be interesting to observe in a discussion to differentiate between how different age groups think and how to prioritize specific topics such as children’s spaces or canteen rooms. 

References (Used in the text):

Block , I. (2020) Integrated Field Decorates Children’s Hospital in Thailand with slides and a pool, Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2020/09/13/integrated-field-ekh-childrens-hospital-thailand-interiors/ (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (2017) Patients, One in Three Hospitalized Patients Experience Symptoms of Depression, Study Shows. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Available at: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/one-in-three-hospitalized-patients-experience-symptoms-of-depression-study-shows/ (Accessed: April 5, 2023).

Cortiana, Y. (2019) Creating a relaxing environment with light, Blog La Triveneta Cavi. Available at: http://blog.latrivenetacavi.com/en/creating-a-relaxing-environment-with-light/ (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Drake, O. (2022) Best bedroom plants – 10 plants to aid sleep and create a peaceful sanctuary, homesandgardens.com. Homes & Gardens. Available at: https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/best-bedroom-plants (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Khandelwal, A. (2022) 5 vastu tips to activate healing energies in your House, Vastu Shastra Journal. Available at: https://www.anantvastu.com/blog/5-vastu-tips-to-activate-healing-energies/ (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Khullar, D. (2017) Bad Hospital design is making US sicker, The New York Times. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/well/live/bad-hospital-design-is-making-us-sicker.html (Accessed: March 31, 2023).

LLC, B.L. (2020) 8 lights for relaxation and creating a calm atmosphere, BlissLights. BlissLights. Available at: https://blisslights.com/blogs/blisslights/lights-for-relaxation-and-creating-a-calm-atmosphere (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Resch, D. (2016) Is the design of our hospitals making people sick?, Newsweek. Newsweek. Available at: https://www.newsweek.com/design-our-hospitals-making-people-sick-417853 (Accessed: April 1, 2023).

Saini, N. (2023) 18 plants best for home as per Vastu – magicbricks blog, magic bricks. Available at: https://www.magicbricks.com/blog/importance-of-plants-in-vastu/115359.html (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Sethi, A. (2022) Vastu guidelines for buying home: Rules & tips , Housing News. Available at: https://housing.com/news/5-golden-rules-buying-home-per-vastu/ (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Schneider, T.van (2020) The sensory and surreal worlds of teamlab – desk magazine, The DESK Magazine. The DESK Magazine. Available at: https://vanschneider.com/blog/sensory-surreal-worlds-teamlab/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Teamlab (no date) Memory of Topography. Available at: https://www.teamlab.art/ew/topography_hamburg/borderless_hamburg/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Westen, V.I. (2017) Study: Light has “surprisingly” large effect on depression, ScienceNordic. Available at: https://sciencenordic.com/denmark-depression-videnskabdk/study-light-has-surprisingly-large-effect-on-depression/1448600 (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Writer, G. (2022) Light deprivation: What happens if you don’t get enough sunlight?, Carex. Carex. Available at: https://carex.com/blogs/resources/light-deprivation-what-happens-if-you-don-t-get-enough-sunlight (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

7 best Vastu plants for bedroom (2019) Floweraura Blog. Available at: https://www.floweraura.com/blog/vastu-plants-for-bedroom (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Bibliography (Further references that have been used in the presentation, as well as texts that have been read and taken into consideration):

Balasubramanian, H. (2023) Tulsi plant Vastu Shastra tips for your home, Housing News. Available at: https://housing.com/news/basil-tulsi-plant-vatsu-shastra/ (Accessed: April 4, 2023).

Cash, M. (2019) A world first: Mori building digital art museum teamlab borderless opens in Tokyo, Tokyo Weekender. Available at: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/arts/a-world-first-mori-building-digital-art-museum-team-lab-borderless-opens-in-tokyo/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Goldman, B. (2022) How men’s and women’s brains are different, Stanford Medicine Magazine. Available at: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/how-mens-and-womens-brains-are-different/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Kulkarni, P. (2023) Vastu plants for home that promote monetary success and prosperity, Lifestyle Asia India. Available at: https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/living/design/best-vastu-plants-to-promote-wealth/ (Accessed: April 4, 2023).

Kumar, S. (2021) 11 best Vastu plants for home for overall positivity: CBVAR, Top Real Estate Agent in Bangalore. Available at: https://cbvalueaddrealty.in/11-best-vastu-plants-for-home-for-positivity/ (Accessed: April 1, 2023).

Lighting Guide for Patient Room (no date) Fagerhult. Available at: https://www.fagerhult.com/knowledge-hub/light-guides/healthcare/patient-room/ (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

Morgan Griffin, R. (2009) Common problems patients face in the hospital, WebMD. WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/before-surgery-your-top-six-hospital-risks (Accessed: April 6, 2023).

Neuroscience News (2016) 1 in 3 former ICU patients show symptoms of depression, Neuroscience News. Available at: https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-icu-patients-4846/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Ohio, B.T. (2022) 5 big challenges faced by the hospital services industry, 5 Big Challenges Faced by the Hospital Services Industry. Available at: https://blog.btohio.com/5-big-challenges-faced-by-the-hospital-services-industry (Accessed: April 10, 2023).

Paliath, S. (2023) 7 Vastu plants that can bring joy, good energy, money, and peace: LBB, LBB, Bangalore. LBB. Available at: https://lbb.in/bangalore/vastu-plants-for-home/ (Accessed: April 5, 2023).

Phillips, R. (no date) Women Artists Who Help Others Heal Through Ar, The Healing Power of ART ARTISTS. Available at: https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/women-artists-who-help-others-heal-through-art/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Revealed: Men and women do think and act differently (2021) The University of Sydney. Available at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/06/02/revealed-men-and-women-do-think-and-act-differently.html (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Sharma, P.G. (2022) Indoor plants and their effect on Vastu, Housing News. Available at: https://housing.com/news/indoor-plants-vastu/ (Accessed: April 5, 2023).

Sullivan, M. (2022) The top five challenges facing today’s Hospitals, Schneider Electric Blog. Available at: https://blog.se.com/buildings/building-management/2013/10/17/top-five-challenges-facing-todays-hospitals/ (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Staff, A.D. (2018) Vastu tips: 25 Ways To Boost Positive Energy in your home, Architectural Digest India. Architectural Digest India. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/vastu-shastra-25-tips-make-home-radiate-positive-energy/ (Accessed: April 6, 2023).

Staff, H.T. (2022) Supporting bedside technologies for patient satisfaction, Technology Solutions That Drive Healthcare. Available at: https://healthtechmagazine.net/article/2017/01/supporting-bedside-technologies-patient-satisfaction (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Stanford Medicine Newsletter (no date) Art and nature will benefit healing, Stanford Medicine Newsletter. Available at: https://med.stanford.edu/communitynews/2019fall/art-and-nature-will-benefit-healing-.html (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Vastu Mystery of Tulsi | Never do these things with Tulsi, It will ruin your life (2020) YouTube. Healthy Natural Remedies. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAizLCJvfXg (Accessed: April 3, 2023).Wilson, R. (2021) How hospital design is being shaped by the trend for single-person rooms, The Architects’ Journal. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/how-hospital-design-is-being-shaped-by-the-trend-for-single-person-rooms (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Wilson, R. (2021) How hospital design is being shaped by the trend for single-person rooms, The Architects’ Journal. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/how-hospital-design-is-being-shaped-by-the-trend-for-single-person-rooms (Accessed: April 3, 2023).

Sight (f.e. brick walls)

Sounds (of other people in the room coughing or talking for instance)

->Slows down the healing process and lack of privacy

Lack of room for animals (especially crucial and helpful for children)

-> This can be visiting animals for instance

->Even an aquarium could be a start and have a positive impact

No healthy food plan for a better healing process and a balanced diet

A person of empathy is lacking (to take away fear before an operation)

->Doctors often barely have the time to do that and talk through problems the patient might have

Restricted visiting times -> Family and friends are highly important for the patient during this time and should therefore always be reachable for the patient

->Children especially should not feel alone

Strong smell (of cleaning products, etc.)

Lily Plant – for peace and enhancing sleep (can help with sleeping problems)

Tulsi Vastu Plant – helps with the withdrawal of toxins (takes in unhealthy gases) and can function as antibacterial, as well as it can help with stress

-> Vastu thinking is always connected to scientific logic

https://cbvalueaddrealty.in/11-best-vastu-plants-for-home-for-positivity/

https://housing.com/news/basil-tulsi-plant-vatsu-shastra/

Snake Plant – boosts oxygen circulation, which makes it a healthy plant to surround yourself with

https://lbb.in/bangalore/vastu-plants-for-home/

Lavender – has a healing and calming effect, as well as the aroma can create a satisfying environment

https://housing.com/news/indoor-plants-vastu/

At the beginning of this project, I began to think about the topics that interest me and how to potentially also connect them with each other. I began to write a list with keywords and potential questions such as the ”power of healing”, and ”creatives working in unusual sectors like property development”, which could create change within hospitals. These were only a few topics from the list, which I later narrowed down, and decided I want to create change in and with what practices or creatives /and the approaches that are required for this process. A further question of mine that had potential was how creatives could play an essential role in the building and design process at hospitals during the healing process (physical/mental/emotional) to aid with more comfort and possibly even accelerate the recovery process.

From here, I began to research hospitals and the issues most patients experience during their stay.

If two more or less unrelated sectors could collaborate within the property sector, it could become more diverse. This could show an innovative effect, as pre-existing methods of design and construction would not repeat themselves.

In addition to my research, I investigated the scientific practices of nature and harmony in the East (Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui) to include within the design process. I imagined building a connection between the design process of hospitals and the Chinese application of Feng Shui or the Indian version of Vastu Shastra to intertwine more balanced and harmonious connections to peace and well-being.

I reflected more in-depth, on which field of creative professionals could be especially productive within this creation and decided drama therapists could play a crucial role in this design process. They not only know the problems many people experience in life but also are aware of how to solve many issues, as they are confronted with them on a daily basis i.e. hearing about what different age groups have to deal with, how they cope with it and what actually helps them in their environment. The therapists are also aware of what solutions work the best and what don’t, as they are aware of talking to a variety of clients. Those can be rituals or objects patients use and integrate into their lives. Additionally, these practitioners can also advise and explain why certain problems arise and how to actually make an impactful change when it comes to the body and mind.

In addition, I reflected on how other humans could benefit from my thought of change. An essential advantage of this integration would be that it could lower the depression rate at hospitals that people often experience in addition to their stay. This would also have an impact on children, who often are forced to be away from their family and friends for most of the time of their hospital visit. If new interior and healing strategies were offered, the overall experience could be more enjoyable for everyone.

Further to that, it could provide creatives at the same time with jobs, as we often see many struggling to find a job on a long-term basis. They could integrate their creative thinking into how to support hospitals, which would assist with their creativity, and also have a position for work.

Going further with this project, I would support my research with surveys and online focus groups of about 6 people. A targeted generation user profile would not be required in this case, as hospital visits are not age specific (unless it is a children’s ward). Nevertheless, taking specific feedback and differentiating between answers of certain age groups can be helpful within this research.

Interviews with professionals, such as specialists in healing and workers who are at hospitals on a daily basis could be supportive too within this intended project. Receiving the patient’s perspective and indicating how they feel about certain aspects would also be highly relevant here.

Within my research, I am intrigued to explore the role of women within property development, as this is quite often a male-dominated space. The approaches to healing and empathy from a female stance could bring a new perspective to design and well-being.

Lastly, interventions and experimenting with how people react to distinct healing methods, and observing what works best would be included in the process of the project.

To support and inspire myself, I will investigate methods that artists have used already effectively in different spaces in connection to healing and emotions.

Additional questions for research methods could be examined going further:

-How can women and creatives play an essential role in the construction/property development process? 

-How can applying the traditional application of feng-shui or the Indian version of Vastu Shastra have a positive impact in terms of healing and well-being at facilities such as hospitals?

-How can we apply feng-shui to the layout and design of (children’s) hospitals?

-How can simple and affordable applications, such as light, music, and plants accelerate the healing process of people at hospitals with the help of creatives?

-How can unemployed creatives be more included in an unusual sector such as property development whilst also contributing to crucial change?

-How can drama therapists collaborate with property developers in order to create healthy and better healing environments?

-How can creatives and women make a crucial innovative change in the property development sector with the knowledge they have?

-How can well-being in children’s hospitals be improved with the help of creatives and changes to the interior?