Weaving the Stories We Live - Addison Misch 2026

This qualitative human subject study explored how individuals express bodily experiences through narratives and drawings. Grounded in narrative analysis and arts-based research, the study examined how storytelling and art-making reveal identity as an evolving, embodied, and culturally situated process. Twenty-five adult participants created 49 drawings in response to an open-ended prompt about bodily experiences, using both verbal storytelling and drawing materials. Results showed that participants consistently situated themselves within their experiences through self-portraits, concrete objects, or symbolic imagery, and that their stories reflected both bounded and unbounded aspects of identity and embodiment.