https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh Income, materialism, and gratefulness and its effects on mental health. en-us 2020-04-28 20:11:48 UTC 2025-11-18 19:52:16 UTC hello@padlet.com 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537490858 This painting seems like it is supposed to represent sadness because of the dark colors and loneliness, and that is why it is often misinterpreted.  Instead, it is symbolizing finding happiness through reflection and resting alone.  This individual seems to be content and grateful of his life and therefore he does not seem to have any materialistic tendencies.  That is why it also seems to symbolize a healthy mental state of mind.  In my IWA, I emphasized how important it is to avoid materialistic tendencies in order to stay healthy mentally.  ]]> 2020-04-28 20:15:49 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537490858 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537496357 This painting shows a single mother in poverty resting with her two kids under a fruit tree.  In my IWA, I used a piece of evidence to support lower mental health for poor individuals by looking at a source that interviewed ten single mothers in poverty.  The article explained how there is an increased risk of depression and insecurity for mothers in poverty, and that affects the children as they grow up.  In this painting, the mother has her head down and looks depressed, and the kids are both looking at her as a way to symbolize that this could be them in the future.  ]]> 2020-04-28 20:18:45 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537496357 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537498800 This poem goes to an extreme on the negative effects of materialism on an individual in order to raise awareness with this issue.  This specific poem has to do with a materialistic woman and the interaction between her and either her boyfriend or husband.  The man tried his hardest to satisfy the woman, but he apparently didn’t do enough to satisfy her because she ultimately stabbed him.  In my IWA, I explained how there are positive short term effects of materialism but the negative long term effects outweigh them.  In this situation, the woman is receiving nice gestures from the man and in return short lived happiness that is overruled by the feeling of wanting more.  This is what materialistics face in our society, as it is very hard to be satisfied when you are constantly wanting the newest and greatest.  ]]> 2020-04-28 20:20:04 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537498800 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537500510 https://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/gifts-become-garbage
This movie clip from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” shows the proposal where the man proposes and asks the woman if she wants to become Augustis Maywho and before she even gets the chance to respond he claims that if she says yes to becoming his wife she will receive a new car.  Right when he says that, a new car appears and the Grinch, who was witnessing this, gets disgusted and scratches the car with his sharp fingernails.  The Grinch then explained how everyone in the town cares the most about the gifts but the majority of those gifts come to him after being put in the garbage.  What the Grinch is trying to get the town to realize is that they are showing very materialistic tendencies and can never be satisfied with what they have and instead want more.  In my IWA, I explained how materialistic adults need the newest and greatest products to earn the admiration from other adults that they want, and the man in this movie thought that by proposing in front of the entire town with the gift of a new car, others will show admiration and jealousy.  This mindset is not good for an individual’s mental health.  This relates to the comic because they both are great examples of the way that materialistic individuals think and the immediate satisfaction leading to long term stress. ]]> 2020-04-28 20:21:04 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537500510 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537502603 https://www.browndailyherald.com/2013/11/11/artists-react-materialism-24-hour-art-competition/
This article explained a 24 hour challenge that was orchestrated by the MESH art show, and the theme was material obsession.  In the article, it was explained that a lot of people used this challenge “to critique cultural consumerism and our obsession over drugs, sex and other material-based economy.”  This challenge ended up raising awareness of materialism through paintings and drawings that showed certain materials individual’s obsess over, ideal settings, and individuals with certain objects.  This relates to my IWA because I explained how the obsession of materialism has negative long term effects on an individual’s mental health and it creates jealousy.  The jealousy theme was relevant in numerous pieces created in this challenge.  I used a quote in my IWA from Stanford graduate William Swinyard that describes materialistic adults as individuals that “judge their own and other’s success in terms of the quantity and quality of accumulated property” (Swinyard).  Some of the art created was purposely made for individual’s to judge the possessions or setting.  ]]> 2020-04-28 20:22:13 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537502603 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537504065 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9z2ELaBVJY
This video is supposed to be funny but also get a very important point across on how individuals should look at life.  It starts with a guy talking about the importance of focusing on what you have instead of what is missing in your life, which is what materialistic people focus on.  By doing this, people will show more gratitude in their lives.  The dance part is a humorous reminder of the importance of feeling gratitude towards what you have and in return happiness that makes you want to do the gratitude dance.  In my IWA, I had an entire paragraph that focused on gratitude and how it decreased materialistic tendencies and improved mental health.  This was especially true for individuals that have passed the $75000 income level because at that point gratitude has more of an effect on their happiness than income.   ]]> 2020-04-28 20:22:55 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537504065 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537505123 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h-5quw8sm4
In the first verse of this song, it talks about personal struggles and having the mindset to persevere through the tough times and therefore you will be grateful for all the good times that come after.  The chorus states, “I’m grateful for the storm, made me appreciate the sun.”  This analogy can apply many different aspects of life, and my personal football experience relates to it.  I joined football my sophomore year and ended up breaking my leg on my second game and was out for the season.  I came back junior year and sprained my ankle twice and broke my thumb where I needed surgery.  However, through all of these struggles, I was still determined to work hard and persevere and it paid off because I got to win state senior year and stay healthy.  Therefore, I can say that those injuries helped me experience gratitude throughout senior year knowing I was healthy and able to compete to my full potential.  My paragraph in my IWA emphasized the importance of this gratefulness on mental health, especially when you are able to find that gratitude when you are going through tough times.  This can also allow individuals to show hope, zest and love during tough times.  This example relates to the painting called "Happiness" because in both cases the individual was able to reflect on their life and show gratitude even through tough times.]]> 2020-04-28 20:23:31 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537505123 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537506853 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEyhoB-hUrE
This song is all about having the mindset to overcome tough times and struggles with mental health.  In fact, one of the main lyrics is “sometimes I feel like giving up, but I just can’t.  It isn’t in my blood.”  People that think this way are able to believe that they can persevere through tough times.  The majority of the song is explaining all of the struggles this person is going through from anxiety to insecurity to loneliness but then after each struggle is listed, the writer strategically puts the statement “it isn’t in my blood.”  Mental health was a huge part of my IWA, where I looked at how money, materialistic tendencies, and gratitude affect mental health.  Money and materialism are both inversely related to mental health, and therefore there are a lot of people in this world that are struggling with their mental health.  This song is a great motivator for those types of people that need that extra help, support, and the mindset to persevere.  That message is very similar to the message in the song "grateful" because in both cases the lyrics explain how it is possible to overcome and show gratitude with a certain mindset. ]]> 2020-04-28 20:24:35 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537506853 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537507649 In my previous forms of art, I talked about having a certain mindset when going through struggles and how this can help improve an individual’s mental health and the amount of gratitude they show.  However, there are certain people that have a mental health disorder and it is very hard for them to overcome these internal struggles.  This piece of art expresses the severity of these struggles, especially Social Anxiety Disorder on a person’s mind.  Some people are extroverts and thrive in social settings while others are introverts and usually want to do things on their own.  The people that are classified with this disorder are having traumatic feelings when in social situations, and this illustration does a good job at showing what a person that is going through these struggles “sees” in their mind when they encounter others.  In the conclusion of my IWA, I mentioned steps in the future that can help mental health, and writing a gratitude journal was one of my suggestions that can directly apply to people classified with the Social Anxiety Disorder.  No matter the person, there are simple steps that can be taken to improve their mental health and in return gratitude and happiness.  ]]> 2020-04-28 20:25:08 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537507649 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537509199 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY
This song has to do with the lives of the rich, where famous celebrities are encountering “gold diggers” or people that want to marry someone for their money.  The girl that the song is talking about is a gold digger that will be quick to leave and take as much money from the famous man as possible when times get tough in a relationship.  On top of that, she has a materialistic mindset by marrying rich, where she can always have the capability of getting the newest and greatest things.  One of my points in my IWA talked about money having little to no impact on an individual’s mental health and happiness when they reach the $75,000 income and instead materialism and gratitude take over.  This song backs up my point because those who show materialism and lack of gratitude like the “gold diggers” are going to have a hard time accepting their standard of living and in return will have a higher risk of anxiety, making comparisons to others, and internal struggles.  This example relates to the 24 art challenge because they both are trying to show how materialism can negatively affect an individual's life along with other people's lives when they have to deal with that person's materialistic tendencies. ]]> 2020-04-28 20:26:03 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537509199 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537510162 This comic is trying to show the basic idea of materialism, where the girl already has more items than you can imagine but she isn’t satisfied with what she has and instead wants more.  The guy on the other hand only has one item and is already jealous of the girl, and that jealousy is what materialistic individuals want.  This relates a lot to my IWA, especially the quote that materialistic adults “judge their own and other’s success in terms of the quantity and quality of accumulated property” (Swinyard).  This girl wants that last item to increase the quantity and quality of her property, and her goal is for each to keep accumulating.  In my IWA, I used the television analogy to describe materialists, where it was stated that “those who have the desire to buy a new television will feel that internal happiness immediately after they acquire that television.  However, that will not lead to any extended happiness if the individual wants a better television shortly after buying the new one, and this is what materialists face” (Ian Norris).  This girl might have received immediate and short term happiness when she acquired each of the items she has, but it doesn’t take long for her to be unsatisfied because she knows there is more that she could possibly acquire.  This source relates to the video clip from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" because they both are great examples of the way that materialistic individuals think and the immediate satisfaction leading to long term stress. ]]> 2020-04-28 20:26:37 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537510162 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537518704 2020-04-28 20:31:31 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537518704 20ouskaa https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537577562 2020-04-28 21:07:31 UTC https://padlet.com/20ouskaa/91xkpr8szzgfx6wh/wish/537577562