Masters Thesis Research
Elevate Service Design and advancing Sustainable solutions through innovative practices of Eco-Art Therapy.
Notion of Physis
Exploring the Role of Nature in Modern Service Design through Eco-Art Therapy
Self
University of Lapland - SDSI
Eco-Art Therapy
Service Designer
*Thank you to everyone that was involved in the research.Abstract
Modern service design often remains tethered to anthropocentric models that prioritize efficiency and human needs while neglecting ecological systems. This thesis proposes an alternative: integrating eco-art therapy with service design to encourage ecological awareness, creativity, and sustainable practice.
Through workshops, interviews, and autoethnographic reflections, the research introduces the Future Eco Evidence-Based (FEEB) framework as a way of bridging ecology, service design, and well-being. By situating natural systems as active participants in design, the research demonstrates how service can be reframed as a livable system, creating conditions for healing and innovation that extend beyond human stakeholders.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical foundation of this work is built upon several intersecting ideas that challenge the dominance of human-centered models in design. At its core is eco-art therapy, a therapeutic practice that integrates natural elements into art-making. Here, nature is not a backdrop but a co-creator in the healing process. By incorporating leaves, stones, clay, or found organic objects, participants are invited to engage with materials that embody ecological cycles of growth, decay, and renewal.
This aligns with the Greek concepts of physis — the natural unfolding of life — and poiesis, the act of bringing something into being. When brought into service design, these concepts reframe the field as a participatory act of becoming, rather than a tool for efficiency.
Supporting this shift are frameworks such as ecopoiesis and the eco-human approach, which position human and non-human systems as fundamentally intertwined. At the same time, critiques of anthropocentrism expose the stagnation of design models like the Double Diamond, which privilege human needs at the expense of ecological realities.
To move forward, service design requires relational thinking, where creativity and innovation emerge from the interconnectedness of humans, materials, and environments.
Methodology
To test these ideas, the research employed a multi-method qualitative approach grounded in poiesis and speculation. I drew from autoethnographic journaling, eco-art therapy workshops, flex-structured interviews, and reflective analysis. Participants were invited to engage with natural and reused materials in open-ended creative exercises. These sessions encouraged them to reflect not only on their artistic outcomes but also on their sensory and emotional experiences with nature.
All data, including journals, interviews, and observations, were anonymized and stored in accordance with GDPR standards. Analysis was conducted using inductive and in-vivo coding, allowing themes to emerge organically from the participants’ words and reflections. This methodological approach ensured that the study did not impose rigid categories but instead remained open to the evolving and relational nature of the inquiry itself.
Future Eco Evidence-Based (FEEB) framework
The FEEB framework is a methodology I’ve developed that helps organizations, communities, and teams align wellness, creativity, and sustainability in one process.
It blends eco-art therapy principles with service design strategies, so instead of only asking “What do people need?”, we also ask: “What does nature need, and how can we co-create with it?”
Inspiration
The seed of this thesis began during a residency in Kuldīga, Latvia. While observing a meadow near the Old Brick Bridge, I noticed a single yellow dandelion blooming in a barren patch of soil. Just inches away lay a rusty, curved nail buried in the dirt. At first, I thought of the nail as waste, a leftover fragment of human industry. Yet, when viewed in context, it resembled a stone that had simply been absorbed into its environment.
This juxtaposition, the fragile dandelion thriving in difficult conditions and the discarded nail repurposed by nature, revealed something essential: both natural and manufactured systems are in constant flux, repurposing themselves in ways that transcend their original design.
From that moment, I began to wonder: what if service design could learn from this natural unfolding, what the Greeks once called physis? Instead of treating design as a linear or mechanistic process, perhaps it could reflect the adaptive, emergent qualities of ecological systems. This thesis explores how eco-art therapy offers a pathway for service design to become more reflective, relational, and nature-inclusive. It asks not only how designers can create with humans in mind, but how we might co-create alongside nature itself.
Workshops & Results
The workshops revealed how eco-art therapy can profoundly shift creative practice. In one session, participants worked with natural and reused materials (branches, stones, and discarded paper). Many noted how the slower pace of working with these materials encouraged deeper reflection, while others described an increased sense of empathy and connection to both their work and the environment.
My autoethnographic reflections reinforced these insights. I found that the practice of creating with nature was inseparable from processes of personal healing, suggesting that design itself could become an act of restoration. Desk research supported these findings by situating eco-art therapy within a growing body of literature on ecopsychology and relational design.
The results also highlighted the limitations of traditional service design. Where current frameworks emphasize speed, scalability, and efficiency, eco-art practices encouraged patience, openness, and attunement to context. However, the small group size and the site-specific conditions of the workshops mean that these findings remain exploratory rather than generalizable.
Discussions
These findings suggest that service design has the potential to expand beyond human-centered approaches toward what I call nature-inclusive design. By engaging with eco-art therapy, designers can cultivate ecological empathy, slowing down processes to allow new forms of creativity to emerge. This resonates with existing literature on sustainability and biophilic design but pushes further by positioning nature not just as inspiration, but as a collaborator.
At the same time, the research acknowledges its limitations. The workshops were short in duration, the sample size was small, and the contexts were specific. The FEEB framework remains experimental, requiring further refinement and testing across disciplines. Yet these very limitations reveal the value of the study: it is less a finished model than a provocation, opening a space for new possibilities in service design practice.
Closing Thoughts
This thesis started with the image of a dandelion and a nail; one natural, one manufactured; both shaped by their environment. That image has guided the research into how design, too, can be redefined when placed within ecological systems.
The findings suggest that eco-art therapy can serve as a bridge between service design and sustainability, helping practitioners to engage more deeply with ecological rhythms and relational creativity. The Future Eco Evidence-Based (FEEB) framework is an early attempt at this integration, offering a way forward for those seeking to design services that are not only human-centered but nature-centered.
While the study’s scope was modest, its implications are significant. Future research should extend these explorations across broader contexts, testing how eco-art-informed practices might shape urban design, public policy, and corporate innovation. Ultimately, the vision is for service design to evolve into a livable system: one where humans and nature co-create futures rooted in care, resilience, and becoming.
To read more on the research; click on the button below.