A Wood Phone Holder Kit as an Art Therapy Project, DIY.

My name is Stephen Pasco. I am new to the world of product design and as of last year, I knew very little about art therapy. About 18 months ago my sister, a Riverside County Police Officer in California, was badly beaten by a man after approaching him as a burglary suspect. To make a long story short, she almost lost her life that evening. She suffered physical and psychological damage from that beating of which she is still recovering. While she was going through therapy, I learned she was given art activities to help her heal. These art therapy projects were a bridge to help her deal with the depression, anxiety, and PTSD from that night. Although I could not relate to what she was going through I wanted to help in my own way. I was convinced I could make a wood kit my sister could use an alternate art therapy activity.

I knew enough about woodworking to make that happen; so, I did just that. I designed and created a wood kit that was easy to assemble and customize. This kit not only helped my sister, but it could also be used to help others. This kit could serve as a platform for alternate art therapy activities.

Let me shed some light on how I was able to create this kit. It starts with my childhood. Ever since I was a child, I have been a creative thinker designing all sorts of things. At the age of nine, I recall designing new soda bottles for my favorite soft drinks. The designs were nothing more than pen and paper drawings. Nevertheless, I figured soda cans, at that time were too primitive – straight side and a round top. Soda cans needed some curves. As a nine-year-old, my designs depicted soda bottles with curvy sides so they could better fit a hand, especially while riding a skateboard. Riding a skateboard on the California coast while holding my favorite soft drink was a thing back then. I went on to design dog houses, gardening tools, and even a portable computer station for patients confined to a hospital bed. Looking back at my childhood, designing was just a natural expression of who I was.

At the time my sister was going through therapy, I was working as a software engineer for an investment banking firm. Yet, it was my tenure at Disney where my creativity began to blossom. As a Disney employee, I recall telling myself, I could probably work for Disney as a product designer even though I was already employed as a software engineer.

I would work at Disney during the day then squeeze in evening woodworking classes at a local community college. I started paying attention to how others were designing. I got my hands dirty and started experimenting with wood, composite materials, and even concrete. I learned how to sew, use a welder, and I mastered the CNC. I began making simple things. I was also studying the work of other Disney artists. I could visualize myself in their seat doing the work they did. It was there at Disney when I began to dream about designing products as a living. Although I enjoyed writing software, designing became my passion.

So, back to the art therapy project - the one I created for my sister. Well, at the time, I thought making a phone holder would be practical. I wanted a simple design. The kit would have no electronics and no moving parts but when assembled it should hold a phone vertically and horizontally. After assembling the kit, my sister could then customize it because it was essentially unfinished wood. I thought she could paint it similar to other art therapy projects she had completed. Well, she did more than just paint it.

It took me several iterations to come up with a design that not only looked cool but one where the assembly was simple and easy. The kit consisted of four wood dowels that connected three wood parts to make up the phone holder.

I found myself putting kits together left and right. I painted many of them.

However, my favorites were the ones I cover with marine vinyl. Fiskars scissors and Fiskars rotary cutters made it easy to cut the patterns. I used an industrial sewing machine to sew a decorative stitch along the edges. The wood kit parts were cut from FSC certified MDF that is manufactured from recycled, pre-consumer wood products. I like working with canvas and leather but I chose vinyl because it is vegan-friendly, waterproof, and resists mold.

It is ironic the kit I created for my sister became an art therapy project for us both. My combined love of design and the desire to help my sister has changed our lives. I want to create more kits. I hope this story inspires other creators to develop kits from their areas of expertise.

Here is my sister's completed phone holder. She put a lot of work into it and I am proud of her. I am also grateful she survived this ordeal. This project not only helped her but also helped us both connect on an entirely new level.

It is my long-term dream that this hobby someday becomes a thriving business. I would love to continue helping others in the art therapy community by creating more kits. Please reach out if you have any ideas for future kits.