Case Study: Feelings are like waves

The story behind the visual

One of my visuals recently went viral on Pinterest and to celebrate, I thought I’d talk a little bit about how I brought it to life with a little behind-the-scenes look.

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Inspiration

In a post about how gratitude journaling saved my sanity, I mentioned the app I used for my journaling: Gratitude. It comes with a handy widget that cycles through daily motivational quotes.

I came across this particular quote at a fairly rough period at the end of last year. I was going through a tough time health wise with a lot of uncertainty around a pending diagnosis and things just felt especially hard in general. These words were a balm to my bruised soul. I immediately knew I wanted to turn this into a visual as a reminder for myself.

From the Gratitude App

Concept

I wanted to visualise this complex emotional concept in a simple, accessible way (I find simple works best with visual metaphors). So I went with the direct route - bringing the words on the screen to life.

I started with a quick sketch of a person watching waves labelled "fear," "doubt," and "shame" standing by the shore, paired with a second scene showing the same person choosing to surf a wave labelled "joy."

Concept sketch in Samsung Notes | Quote by Jonatan Martensson

I then redrew and and coloured the visual in Infinite Painter. It took a while to get the waves to where I was happy with them - reference images were very helpful for this.

Some references I looked at for waves

The message is straightforward yet profound: while we can't stop emotions from coming, we have a choice in choosing which ones to engage with. This is not to say that we ignore the negative - we acknowledge them with the full knowledge that they will eventually pass. But we always keep an eye out for the positive, surfboards at the ready.

Drawn in Infinite Painter | Quote by Jonatan Martensson

Impact

This simple visual metaphor has resonated deeply with audiences:

• 83,000 impressions in a 30-day period¹

• 6,900 clicks from viewers wanting a closer look

• 1,300+ saves to personal boards with titles such as ‘Wisdom’, ‘Mental Health’, ‘Self Improvement’, ‘Mindset’,

• 135 reactions showing emotional connection

Pinterest stats

Why it works

The illustration embodies what I consistently strive for in all my editorial work: transforming abstract concepts into visual stories that create genuine human connection.

In an age of AI-generated content, I truly believe hand-drawn, imperfect visuals offer authentic warmth that helps the message stay with viewers.

This is a great example of how the right visual can bridge the gap between message and audience and create a lasting impression that continues to resonate long after the viewer has clicked away.

I also see it as a validation of sorts of my approach to mindfulness and self-help illustration - using simple, joyful visuals to communicate ideas that might otherwise remain abstract or forgettable.

This was a message that resonated with me personally and brought me a lot of comfort in a turbulent time - I’m glad it found the right audience.

Until next time,

Yemisi 💜

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1. 9 April - 9 May 2025