Aiyin Zheng

Healing Card Game: How Life Unfolds

This project looks at how images can be used to support self-reflection. It takes the form of a set of collage-style cards, combining ideas from narrative psychology and art therapy. The cards are based on the idea of “growth” in nature—such as snakes shedding their skin, butterflies emerging from cocoons, or crabs changing shells. These moments are often uncomfortable or uncertain, which feels similar to how we experience emotional change in real life. Instead of giving fixed meanings, the cards are meant to be interpreted freely. Players can project their own thoughts and feelings onto the images and use them to build personal stories. In this way, the cards work more like a visual tool for thinking, helping to make internal experiences easier to notice and understand.

Full Project Link: https://aiyinart.cargo.site/healing

Illustration Picture Book: I Didn't Know You Yet

I Didn't Know You Yet is a picture book inspired by my childhood experiences of keeping pets. Through a symbolic story about a shepherd collecting memories left behind by animals, the book explores themes of love, responsibility, grief, and learning to let go. Rather than focusing only on loss, it reflects on the gradual process of understanding another life and recognising that love also means acceptance and goodbye.

Created for older children, young adults, and adults, the project combines traditional watercolour illustration with handmade bookbinding to create an intimate reading experience. It invites readers to reflect on their own memories while gently exploring the emotional connections between people and animals.

Full Project Link: https://aiyinart.cargo.site/ididntknowyouyet