Pressed in Time — Michaela Tracey

The Lancet’s global study on youth climate anxiety found that emotions like sadness, anger, and hope are not signs of weakness, they are signs of deep care. Trauma-informed research teaches us that making space for emotion helps transform paralysis into connection, healing, and meaningful action. This spectrum invites reflection, participation, and release. Feeling is not the end of the story, it’s how we begin to move forward.

“The depth of your feeling is a reflection of your humanity, not a sign of your weakness”

— Britt Wray, Generation Dread (2022)

Ten carved Rimu stamps linked to The Climate Emotional Spectrum.

Hand Crafting in an AI-Frenzied World

In a moment where artificial intelligence is accelerating rapidly, this work is a quiet refusal to rush. Even when I wanted to move faster, the process made me slow down. The hand-carved stamps, imperfect, layered, and human serve as a reminder that slow, physical making still holds deep value.

Each carved line took time. Each stamped mark required presence. In a world leaning toward optimisation, this piece leans into care, slowness, and emotional precision. The process became part of the message: that human touch still matters, especially when what we’re facing is deeply human.

**Material outsourcing**
Worked with Dean Armstrong to re-purpose an old rimu fence post, cutting it to stamp block specs.

**Emotion selection & design**
Researched climate psychology and sketched visual interpretations of 10 core emotions.

**Testing: Carve, One hour at a time**
Tried multiple carving methods, Due to wrist strain, I carved in short bursts, about two stamps per day, slowly and steadily.

**Protecting**
Applied two coats of protective varnish to seal and preserve the rimu blocks.

**Planning**
Early sketches and layout planning helped map the scope, materials, and emotional tone of the piece.

**Spectrum refinement**
Refined the emotion order, colour pairings, and added Overwhelm to better reflect climate realities. Final sketches were then transferred to rimu blocks for carving.

**Adjustments**
Refined carved lines for clarity, smoothing some edges and deepening others as needed.

**Testing: Surface trials**
Stamped on canvas, ply, and fabric to test visibility, texture, and ink absorption.

**Adjustments**
Moved from ink rollers to ink pads a cleaner, more participant-friendly choice for stamping.

**Testing: Material & size**
Tested different block sizes and materials to find the right balance of scale, clarity, and feel. Slow progress, but each mark made with intention and care.

**Sanding**
Light sanding ensured each stamp face was clean, smooth, and ready to print clearly.

**Testing**
Final test prints, clear, tactile, expressive. Ready for participants to leave their mark.

The Climate Emotion Spectrum

Emotional Themes
This work draws from Data Humanism and the idea of warm data that emotions are valid, complex, and deserve to sit alongside traditional facts. In the context of climate change, feelings like anger, grief, fear, and hope are often treated unequally. Yet all are real, and all can drive action. Some say hope is essential for momentum. Others see anger as the stronger motivator. For me, all emotions are valid and all are needed. The key is not to get stuck in just one. Emotions are meant to move and to help us move, too.

NGHS Participation Workshop

Materials:
Stamps are hand-carved from up-cycled rimu wood. Ink is acid-free, fast-drying, and dye-based. Canvas boards are made from ply and rimu, with building support from Dean Armstrong. Seed paper kindly produced by The Papermill.
Sources:
Climate Psychology Alliance, Anya Kamenetz’s Climate Emotions Wheel, Lancet Youth Climate Anxiety Study (Hickman et al., 2021), and trauma-informed climate communication research.