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The Dinosaur Onesie Project
I spent the summer of 2011 in the hospital for a chronic medical condition. But I feel that the way that I looked at the situation morphed my experience into a positive one. Of course, nobody wanted to be at the hospital. I reacted to the situation by purchasing a green dinosaur onesie I found on the internet. I wore the dinosaur onesie around the hospital and was immediately gratified by the smiles that were brought on by my action. Who knew something so small could have such an impact on a stranger? It was then that I realized my generation is infatuated with technology. And this infatuation has resulted in a disregard for human interaction and ultimately a loss in pure, genuine happiness. We are too busy with social networking websites and the latest iPhone apps to care about interacting with each other, face-to-face. I decided to quite literally explore the relationship between face-time and happiness. Stony Brook Univesity, the school I currently attend, was ranked among the top five most depressed universities in America.
It was apparent to me that the Stony Brook University campus was the perfect environment to start The Dinosaur Onesie Project in hopes of making a difference. The Dinosaur Onesie Project began with creating 100 miniature dinosaur onesie figures modeled after my own image. I placed the wax dinosaur onesie figures around campus in unsuspecting places anywhere the little figure could fit! Attached to each wax figure was a note that said, “Take me on an adventure! Find out more information and post pictures at [thedinosauroneiseproject.tumblr.com]!” My hope was that random people would find, interact with, and post pictures of their dinosaur onesie figure. The dinosaur onesie figurines were a gift for each person to keep.
…you will not be the death of me
Although The Dinosaur Onesie Project showed much success, I wanted to further develop the artwork. The Dinosaur Onesie Project:...you will not be the death of me entails asking strangers, friends, and family to bring shirts or other flat surfaces to a designated location where I silkscreened the text “I was extinct once before... ...you will not be the death of me”. An image of me in my dinosaur onesie was centered in the text. The silkscreen gift, like the wax figurine, was free. The people who participated were asked to LIKE The Dinosaur Onesie Project Facebook page to be contacted with specific days to wear their shirts! Now, not only can people post pictures of dinosaur onesie wax figures, but they can also post pictures WEARING their shirt!
The purpose of this new component is building a community face-to-face. I personally will interact with each individual while they get their shirt screened. By asking many people on-campus to wear the image, they will be able to connect with each other and also be reminded that no matter how difficult a situation may be, attitude and perspective have powerful psychological and social effects. Each person has the power within themselves to overcome obstacles to live a positive, fulfilling life.