I finished Animated Film and New Media studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. I work in the field of visual arts through drawing, illustration, animation, art book, installations and film. I am inspired by the idea of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, understanding psychology and the world of energy. Through a series of drawings I try to develop a visual language that opens a dialogue about emotions, individual experiences and awareness of human conditions.
I have always been drawing and this skill has developed over the years, but I feel that I was formed in a professional sense only when I found an idea that connects everything I do, and thus the meaning of artistic creation. The starting point of that invention was my dissertation called The Human Body: Instructions for Use. With this work, I somehow began the adventure of exploring the meaning of life, psychology, the visible and invisible elements that make life interesting and valuable.
The Associative cards "Emotions and States" are the result of artistic work through which I researched and reflected on topics related to psychology and psychotherapy. I tried to summarize and explain the experience of going through emotions, various moods and states with visual language, and so a series of drawings was created that evokes associations, interpretations and spontaneous emotions of the viewer. I decided to design the associative cards which become a tool for self-exploration, stimulating the intuitive part of the mind through interaction with the cards. The mind recognizes in the illustrations connections with the lived experience. The visuals on the cards represent 33 basic emotions as multicolored, abstract circular shapes, while another 50 linear drawings of the human shape correspond to a variety of emotional situations.
The cards themselves are made to visualise emotional states. At the same time, their meaning is not strictly set, it is open for interpretation, which can be different each time for every person. When using them, rely on your spontaneous creative abilities and try to approach them in a spirit of curiosity and playfulness.
Psychotherapists Dea Ajduković and Hrvoje Pranjić Anušić discovered my work and introduced me to the connection between their psychotherapeutic practice and mine, the artistic one, so we came up with the idea of associative cards together, after brainstorming and talking about how most people cannot name more than 5 basic emotions. Dea wrote the text and instructions that can be found in the box with cards. Our aim was to open up the potential of using the cards to someone who has never used such a tool before. It was important for me to complete this collaboration with her instructions, because the process and idea of the work is very inspired by our collaboration. I discovered the cards myself in a new way through her suggestions.
The cards have various applications, they can be used individually or in a group; for education purposes, psychotherapy, self-research, play, creative process, dance workshop, difficult conversations, defining goals, understanding people and relationships around them...The cards are a great tool to encourage conversation, they can provoke some topics that would not otherwise come into focus. Through individual use, they can be a nice way to momentarily listen to your own emotional state, to reflect on a particular situation, or to seek a solution. On a daily basis, such practices can help connect an intuitive and analytical way of approaching one’s own experience.
Meet Ivana on 4th of December:
17-18h Emotions and States Presentation (online via Zoom)
Ivana will present the Associative cards from the point of view of the illustrator and explain how to use them as a tool, at the individual or a group level.
The event is free of charge, sign up HERE to get the Zoom link.