Exploring self-reflection through organization and visualization of a timeline of lessons I’ve learned in my 25 years of life.

The challenge

I’m interested in autobiographical data visualizations such as Giorgia Lupi’s Dear Data. I wondered if I could extend the concept of Lupi’s Data Humanism (i.e., “connect numbers to what they really stand for: knowledge, behaviors, people”) beyond simple recollections of one’s behavioral patterns. Instead, I wanted to reflect upon my cognitive patterns, exploring the concept of personal growth.

Similar to the way a historian aggregates events into patterns to grapple with their significance in a larger historical context, I sought to map the things I’ve learned in order to better understand the patterns and trajectory of my life.

The design

First, I wrote a list of consequential lessons I’ve learned throughout the years. I noticed the lessons tended to cluster into three main categories (people, narrative, and truth):

Using Adobe Illustrator, I laid out a left-to-right timeline, vertically stacking lessons learned in the same year.

Conclusions

I am surprised at how many lessons repeat themselves, increasing in complexity. In particular, my intellectual curiosity has led me to question increasing numbers of truths. Meanwhile, the narratives that can be found in my life (via friends, etc.) have become increasingly important.