Anthony Thai
Broke College
Student's Guide
to Enlightenment
Broke College Student's Guide To Enlightenment dissects the conventional ways we view mental health issues in the United States through Eastern philosophy. Although considered to be a “guide to enlightenment”, the main purpose of this project is to provide young adults with a different perspective from the ways in which we’ve been taught to look and treat our lives in the modern era.
Artist/Thesis Statement
As a college student who struggles with motivation and anxiety, I would watch tons of self-help videos with titles like “The Secret to Being Happy!” or “Top 10 Things I Do To Keep Myself Productive.” While those videos worked temporarily, I always found myself falling back into the same, negative mindset over and over again. In the past year, however, I’ve been exploring these issues related to my mental health through Eastern philosophy, and what I learned seriously blew my mind. The usual ways in which I thought about my own motivation, anxiety, and life as a whole felt as if they had been flipped upside down. As I kept diving into the philosophy rabbithole, I couldn’t help but wonder why Eastern perspectives of mental health weren’t as discussed in the mainstream considering its timely themes.
The Broke College Student’s Guide to Enlightenment' is a project meant to spread the themes and messages found in Eastern philosophy in a way that’s both insightful and fun. As the name suggests, the project is aimed towards young adults like myself who find themselves stuck in ruts, constantly questioning their own views, habits, and thoughts. While the project considers itself to be a “guide”, the main purpose moreso is to offer a more contemplative perspective towards our views of mental health issues in the United States.
