I love data visualization. If done right, they're more engaging and easier to understand than a written report. And let's face it, they look pretty cool!

They can be intimidating sometimes, though. My mind would be overwhelmed by the amount of data they contain. It can be hard to know where to start, what to focus on, and what to make of it all.

My frustration led me to the book Observe, Collect, and Draw!: A Visual Journal Diary by Giorgia Lupi.

It has a simple premise: You are the data. You track things about yourself like what you eat, how much you exercise, your energy levels throughout the day, and more. Then, you take all those info and transform it into a simple graph or chart. It's a nice exercise in self exploration and discovery.

At the time, I was also reading a lot about the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) trait. It piqued my curiosity because I felt like a lot of my behaviors could be attributed to it. After a bunch of research and reflecting on my own experiences, I created a mini guided journal on this theme (and because I needed one myself).

THE INSPO:

Developed by psychologist Elaine Aron, the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) trait is characterized by a deep awareness of the environment, strong emotions, and high sensitivity to external stimuli. HSPs may experience greater distress and anxiety in response to certain situations and environments, but they're also more likely to experience higher levels of empathy, creativity, and intuition.

MY TAKE:

There's a lot of goodies in her book The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You but before I could finish it, my mind was already spinning with visual a-ha moments I wanted to create.

Here are a few pages from the themed journal I designed:

It has all the elements I love: data visualization, a tad of humor, a thought-provoking quote, and a visual thinking exercise all combined in a minimal, delicate style.

What do you think?