Capstone Project GOOD Proposal

Name of Student: Maria Yousef

Date: May 14th, 2024
Teacher: Lara Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is: Product Strand
Proposed title for my project: Arts & Mental Health

What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion, or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that you
cannot just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.

My inquiry question is:

How does creating art pieces improve people’s mental health status?

Rationale/context:

Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are choosing to investigate this
topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect to your passion(s), purpose? Why is
it of personal interest to you?

This major is important to me personally because I believe that arts such as painting, drawing, and
coloring are extremely helpful for mental health and depression improvements and turning it into
happy emotions and better health in general.

Background:

What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this area of inquiry?

My background connections for this topic are various personal experiences with sadness, anger,
breakdowns, and depression emotions. I then improved those emotions by practicing my favorite
relaxing activity, painting, as a way of letting my feelings out in the form of an art piece. This helps me
relax, calm down, and improves my overall health.

Career connections:

What is your intended career area at this point in time? What connections does this inquiry question
have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

My intended career area is to be a physical therapist because I’m deeply passionate about helping
others as much as I can. My capstone project focuses on helping other people mentally, but I wanted
to also help them physically by being a physiotherapist in the future. This career path is not just an
idea, but I indeed applied for post-secondary for kinesiology major and I am planning to take a
master’s degree in physical therapy after my bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
Capstone Presentation medium:

Select one or more project mediums you wish to use to present your project. Outline and give details
about how you will present your project once completed. You may use a combination of mediums.

- Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT

- Physical portfolio
- Website
- iMovie presentation
- YouTube channel

Electronic Portfolio (PPT)

Description of my Capstone project.

Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what will you research, create, study, produce, solve,
investigate? What product will be produced at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page
description outlining your proposal.

In my capstone project, I focus on the engagement with arts and paintings positively impacts mental
health, relaxation, and stress reduction. I tend to explore many artistic modalities, such as painting,
drawing, and sculpting, to understand their therapeutic effects on others.
My research will be based on studies that prove that practicing art methods improve mental health for
others, in such ways as art therapies and many more. My research studies are about engaging in arts
and paintings, which could help alleviate mental health problems by providing a creative outlet for
expression, promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and fostering self-awareness and emotional
exploration. Creating art allows people to express their feelings and thoughts in a constructive way,
leading to an improvement in their mood and a sense of accomplishment. I am working on sharing
other people’s experiences in my project through interviewing them and learning more about their
point of view about arts and mental improvement.
The scientific reason behind my project’s purpose is painting and drawing specifically have been
shown to improve mental health and aid in relaxation and stress reduction due to their impact on the
brain's neurotransmitter levels. Creating art stimulates the release of dopamine (the happiness feeling
hormone), the chemical associated with pleasure and reward. This dopamine release promotes
feelings of happiness and satisfaction, counteracting stress, and anxiety. Engaging in artistic activities
activates the brain's reward pathway, similar to activities like exercise or listening to music, leading to
a sense of accomplishment and relaxation.
I am planning to create about three canvas paintings, with each canvas representing a specific
emotion or situation that I will thoroughly explain. Each painting will serve as a visual narrative, inviting
people to immerse themselves in the intricacies of the depicted emotion or scenario. By offering
detailed explanations alongside the artworks, my goal is to provide people with insight into the
underlying themes and personal significance behind each piece, fostering a deeper connection and
understanding of human psychology. I aspire to not only explore my own emotional landscape but also
to create meaningful conversations about mental health and the power of artistic expression in
navigating life's challenges.
 In my project, I intend to develop inspiration from artists within my community, seeking to refine my
skills through studying their techniques and approaches and how they express the meaning on their
artwork. I plan to use my technology to access meaningful resources for further research, allowing me
to understand the themes and concepts I wish to explore in my artwork.
I’m also planning making small art workshops for middle-school kids in my community along with on
making interviews with other people from different backgrounds, inviting others from different ages to
share their personal experiences and insights on the emotions and situations. I hope to infuse
authenticity and depth into my art-based studies and project, offering others a multifaceted
perspective on people’s condition. For the materials I will need, I intend to utilize simple and
affordable materials, ensuring that my creative process remains inclusive and approachable to all
people.

Resources/Technology/Skills:

Make an assessment of the resources, technology, and skills you will need to be able to complete this
project. What is your plan to be able to access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve
completion of this project? Detail your plans.

− Explore and cultivate artistic techniques to enhance skill development.

− Use technology to find valuable resources for upcoming research endeavors.
− Make interviews with others to amplify diverse experiences and narratives.
− Prioritizing simplicity and affordability in sourcing materials for the project.
− Gather inspiration from artistic influences to refine and expand my skills.
− Use technological tools to uncover resources for ongoing exploration and studies.

Mentors/Community Connections:

What types of mentor(s)/community connections will you need to help you complete your capstone
project? How will your mentor(s) help you? What is your plan to access the mentorship/community
connections necessary for this project?

I am planning to connect with mentors through Teams and reaching out to art influencers on
Instagram. My mentor will help me by guiding me through and giving me feedback.
I am also planning to present my final product as a long video that includes my interviews, workshop
and paintings with its progress.

Project limitations:

What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee that might affect progress
with your Capstone Project?

- Lack of Time
- Deadlines
- Shortage on materials
- Stress
Other Considerations:

List and detail any other related information/ considerations about your project that you feel should be
included in your project proposal.

I wanted to create a small workshop for kids in grade 4 in my church community to share their
delightful experience when creating artistic pieces in their own unique ways. I will document the
process by filming the kids while they’re working on their art pieces and including it in the interview
video.

References:

On a BLANK PAGE ADD YOUR REFERENCE LIST. Your list should be written using correct APA formatting.
An example is provided on page 20 of your Capstone booklet. THIS IS NOT YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW
BUT A REFERENCE LIST OF ALL THE ARTICLES FOUND IN YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW.

References

Dokter, D. (2010). Helping and Hindering Processes in Creative Arts Therapy Group Practice. Group,
34(1), 67–83.

Losinski, M., Hughey, J., & Maag, J. W. (2016). Therapeutic Art: Integrating the Visual Arts Into
Programming for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Beyond Behavior, 25(1), 27–34.

Congdon, K. G., & Congdon, D. C. (1986). A Systemic Approach to Art Education and Mental Health.
Visual Arts Research, 12(2), 73–79.

Van Lith, T., Fenner, P., & Schofield, M. (2011). The lived experience of art making as a companion to
the mental health recovery process. Disability and Rehabilitation, 33(8), 652-660.

Porter, G., Epp, L., & Bryant, S. (2000). Collaboration Among School Mental Health A Necessity, Not a
Luxury. Professional School Counseling, 3(5), 315–322.

Van Lith, T. (2016). Art therapy in mental health: A systematic review of approaches and practices.
*The Arts in Psychotherapy, 47*, 9-22