Our Story
Imagine a time of your day where we don’t have to react, respond or press the like button.
Imagine a time where we take a pause, witness our thoughts! We live in a world right now, where we passively consume tons of facts, figures, opinions on an everyday basis.
We move forward each day, without looking back at “our awesomeness”. And then when someone compliments us, we dismiss it without giving much thought. Each day new stories of resilience & confidence are getting formed in our lives. Imagine a “little place” where you could store these boxes of wonderfulness that you have in you! This doodle journal seeks to be your moment of pause amidst the chaos.
How did it all begin?
This journal became possible after my journey with Narrative ideas began in 2018. It started as a project during the Mental Health Training Course in Narrative Ideas & Practices that I participated at Ummeed CDC, Mumbai, India. Narrative Practices have intentionally helped me to focus on my preferred spaces and gave me audacious hope to grow as a person.
Simplifying conversations around mental wellbeing has been my professional goal. So when Doodling & Creativity met Narrative Practices, they had an awesome conversation. I consulted myself. The quirky corner of my mind that has tons of ideas lit up! Here the idea was to create a space for self-reflection - without having a sense of boundary. Journaling is often stereotyped to be for people to note down thoughts towards planning, productivity, goals, change of habits. I was looking for a creative space where I could unearth my happy thoughts, keep them neatly wrapped.
"How do I store my stories of happiness, strength & courage? Where can I find a space to document the happy moments of my childhood or my travels?"
I doodled every single idea that came to my mind, in any diary that I could find next to me. Navigating through the roads of Mumbai on my two-wheeler, I let this idea of creating a doodle journal based on Narrative Practices marinate. I gathered the courage to share my idea with my course supervisor, Jehanzeb, my co-participants, my sister ( and illustrator). That was the beginning of this magical journey, (that has now turned me into a storyteller).
Origami of Becoming hopes to be your “little happy space”.
Through carefully guided prompts, it invites you to travel in your thoughts. The journal has quirky doodle formats to be filled in so that one does not feel anxious staring at a blank piece of paper. And the moment you start expressing via doodles or words, you begin to feel a sense of calm & control.
About the creators
Bimba Chavan
Bimba is a counsellor, curriculum designer and workshop facilitator innovating mental wellbeing conversations. Creativity, coffee and colours are the three driving forces of her day. She is naturally drawn to express her inner world through words & doodles. Narrative ideas inform her work practices in designing a doodle journal, developing a preventive mental health program for Mumbai public schools, and simplifying everyday conversations.
On the weekends, you will find her exploring quirky jewellery at artisan markets, innovating new ideas with her sister, colouring mandalas or being the sous-chef to her partner in the kitchen. She currently resides in Melbourne and works as a counsellor & program facilitator recruiting a broader audience in the mental health context.
Connect with her via Instagram, and LinkedIn
Mita Chavan
Mita is a designer by profession and a visual storyteller at heart. She started her journey as a communication designer and has an immense love for branding and typography. She enjoys working on multi-disciplinary projects ranging from print to web design and photography. Her strengths lie in promoting design thinking in all areas of life. Coffee, stationery and a travel backpack are her beloved companions. The passion for doodling & the color black manifests in diverse art forms in her work. At present, Mita works as a visual designer at UI/UX firm in Mumbai, creating design solutions.