Livin’ the Dream

Funded by the Pulitzer Center

Livin’ the Dream is a participatory media project in Humboldt County, California, developed in collaboration with artists Leslie Castellano and Laura Montagna, that engages incarcerated individuals at the Humboldt County Correction Facility in Eureka, CA. In 2015, the Journal of Consulting Psychology released a study on visualization techniques in goal achievement, proving that believing in an outcome can greatly increase the capacity for achievement. The project centered on participants identifying an aspiration they wished to pursue upon release and constructing handmade objects from available materials that symbolized their goal. Each participant acted out movements that embodied their aspiration as we documented the enactment. Additionally, each participant constructed collages that allowed them to further experience the landscape of their aspiration. Participants were also given weekly writing prompts to 1) Help identify what fulfillment in life looks like for participants, 2) gain a better understanding of how to achieve the aspirations that they are visualizing. 3) Identify what physically, emotionally, and spiritually is holding them back.

Awards:

CENTER Awards: Project Development Grant

Juror: Erin O’Toole, MOMA