Cultivating Presence: A Personal Journey Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Creative Reflection

I created a comprehensive project to showcase my mindfulness journey through meditation and daily practices. This includes a 10-day mindfulness diary to track progress, a creative mixed-media art project reflecting themes of impermanence and presence, and a reflective essay that integrates my personal experience with academic insights. The project aims to demonstrate how mindfulness can be practically applied in daily life and deepen my understanding of its psychological and philosophical foundations.

ChatGPT and BLACKBOXAI

The process of completing this Domestika final project unfolded over several weeks and involved deep personal reflection, creative exploration, and academic integration. I approached the project in three structured phases:

1. Preparation and Planning
Before starting the 10-day mindfulness diary, I selected specific meditation techniques I wanted to explore, such as Body Scan, Loving-Kindness, and Breath Awareness. I created a practice schedule to ensure consistency and set a dedicated time each morning for my sessions. I also researched relevant literature and teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Buddhist traditions to guide both my practice and creative concept development.

2. Daily Practice and Journaling
Each day, I engaged in meditation for 15–30 minutes and immediately wrote a diary entry. I paid attention not only to internal experiences like emotions and thoughts but also to environmental cues such as sound, weather, and physical setting. I gradually noticed patterns in my mood, distractions, and coping mechanisms, which helped inform the themes of my creative project.

Simultaneously, I captured visual and audio content from my surroundings—photos of nature, changing light, ambient sounds, etc.—to represent how mindfulness made me more aware of the impermanent, fleeting beauty in daily life.

3. Creative Interpretation and Reflection
After completing the diary, I created a digital collage using mixed media: scanned watercolor art, natural elements photographed daily, and audio recordings. The resulting piece, titled *Fleeting Moments*, reflects themes of impermanence, compassion, and presence.

Lastly, I wrote the reflective essay, combining personal insights with psychological theories such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I revised the essay multiple times, ensuring a balance between lived experience and academic reflection, while properly citing sources in APA format.