For my first ACTLab project, I decided to do something I hadn't done since middle school: arts and crafts. Once I got the idea for this project, I didn't stop until I was finished. Unfortunately that meant I didn't take pictures showing the process of making this lamp. So instead of showing pictures of the process that don't exist (...if that's even possible), I'll explain to you this project piece by piece.

The little figure laying down on the base is me made up of various representations of my fears that I possess while I'm alive here on Earth. The head is a horseshoe magnet which represents my fear of developing bipolar disorder when I get older like my grandfather. The body is a hollow plastic tube which represents my fear of emptiness. The legs are staple pullers that I used at a previous job where I pulled staples and made copies all day. Those represent my fear of being stuck in a dull and meaningless job. I intentionally made the figure without arms to represent my fear of being powerless to control things around me. Depressed yet? Well here comes the positive side of the project.

The light represents me when I'm dead. When I am dead I will be free of all of the pains and fears that I possess while I am alive. I picked the brightest light that the base could handle and made the lamp so that a lamp shade would not be placed over the bulb to shield the light. The light is there to fill the room and not to be contained.

Making this project was very therapeutic for me. Not only did I get some of my fears out in the open, but I also was able to realize how temporary they are. Granted some of them are rather big fears, but making this project showed me that they are only part of this life and will be gone once this life is gone.