THE SHORT WAY HOME (physical copy)

This is a 20 page zine detailing my thesis project. Printed on vibrant 80lb cardstock paper with a velvety cover, "The Short Way Home” depicts a variety of coping mechanisms people use to feel at home in unfamiliar, even hostile places or situations. It aims to showcase why certain interests and seemingly mundane tasks mean so much to people.

This project focuses on diverse ways people cope with the feeling of unbelonging by doing things that incites comfort and security. I think at certain points in life, anyone will experience estrangement and discomfort from unfamiliar, hostile, or just mundane situations. Thus, as humans, we develop coping mechanisms to deal with that discomfort. It is interesting to me how vastly varied and intersectional these methods of coping can be between people, so I want to visualize just how diverse the search for comfort in everyday life is. This is to both validate people’s differences and encourage mutual understanding as to why certain things are so important and comforting to an individual.

I put in lots of hidden details as well as references to my other art, another piece in this series, as well as my personal life.