Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

This thesis will encompass the chemical, social, cultural, and even religious significance and history of Henna. Henna is a natural paste made out of dried henna leaves which is then mixed with other ingredients such as lemon juice, tea, essential oils, and sugar. Depending on the region, everyone uses a different recipe and ratios due to the different climates. Henna has been used for celebrations such as weddings in Western Asia, the Middle East, and even Africa. Henna has also been used in religious celebrations for Muslims such as Eid. The practice of henna application has proven to be a uniting factor in multiple cultures, as women gather to get their henna done for celebrations and joyful occasions. Despite its cultural significance, henna was actually used medicinally in ancient times due to its cooling properties. People used to dye the soles of their feet, and hands during the summer in order to cool down their bodies. Slowly, henna became more of a beauty factor and women began to make designs with it to adorn themselves. Applying henna is a lengthy process. Henna must dry for about 30 minutes before one is able to continue with daily routine. Then the henna must be wrapped after being soaked in a lemon sugar solution. This must remain for 5+ hours in order to achieve the desired intensity of the stain. However, once the dry henna is taken off, no water must touch the premature stains for 24 hours since this is when the henna begins to oxidize and the color begins to darken. It takes 48 hours for the henna stain to fully mature. Due to this, chemical henna, otherwise known as “instant henna” has been created to make that dark mature stain in a matter of a few hours, sometime even minutes. There are two downsides: the first being that the stain does not last 1-2 weeks like the natural henna does, the second being it is a major health risk. Most of these prepackaged chemical henna cones contain additives that are used to dye hair. This dye is not meant to be used on skin, so many people have gotten chemical burns due to this. It can even lead to full-on allergic reactions resulting in hospital-stays. The use of chemical henna not only poses health risks, but it also diminishes the value of henna and what it stands for. This project will dive into the following questions: How does henna stain the skin? How has Henna impacted women throughout the world? What is the artistic significance of Henna? What aspects of Henna have allowed it to be integrated into cultures throughout the years? How can one avoid the use of chemical henna, and what kind of potential risks arise from this?

Studio 31 is a startup venture founded by Brandon Goldberg, Ryan Johnston, Samuel Vogel, and Ekaterina Korneva. The company offers affordable art prints created by aspiring artists through an online platform. Our mission is to connect these artists with art lovers and provide them with the tools to build sustainable careers. Key activities of Studio 31 include curating a set of artworks, maintaining a print-on-demand system for sustainable production, and penetration of the target market through strong digital media positioning. The field of art is replete with talented artists who are just starting their professional careers and are not represented in the art market. The works of art of such artists are unknown and inaccessible to the target audience, which complicates the process of their professional development and limits the variety of artworks available on the market. Studio 31 infiltrates the art community and forms partnerships with talented artists to then provide the target market with access to exclusive artwork through an established sales and production process. The advantages of an established business process are no risk to the artist, cost-efficient production that correlates with demand, and a predictable cash flow from operations. The current state of the industry and trends affecting the target market confirm the viability of Studio 31's business model. The covid-19 crisis has affected the art market, shifting focus to online sales. Moreover, due to people spending more time at home, the demand for art products has increased. Our team is uniquely positioned to bring the Studio 31 business plan to life. With Katrin, Ryan, Brandon, and Samuel as the management team, the project is supported by expertise in entrepreneurship, management and policy, economics, marketing and design Implementation and marketing are the key activities of the company on the way to gaining traction in the target market. Studio 31 will develop multiple direct and indirect distribution channels to provide customers with diversified access to offerings. The website will serve as the main direct channel to connect with buyers, displaying the full list of offers available for order. In addition, the company will be present on numerous social media platforms in order to notify the target audience of current offers in a timely manner. Both the website and social media accounts will grow through paid advertising and influencer marketing. The project's initial funding consists of Barrett, the Honors College Thesis Funding. These resources covered the overhead costs required to get started, such as the website and initial product prototypes. The seed funding will also be used for market research and business process testing to improve the company's performance and subsequently maximize profits. The team will resort to a crowdfunding strategy if additional funding resources are needed to cover the initial costs. The project will be presented to the public to receive financial assistance for business development. The investment will be encouraged by incentives such as discounts on future sales.