Stefanie Posavec is a designer, artist, and author and Giorgia Lupi is an Italian information designer and data humanist. From opposite sides of the ocean these two women got to know each other through data and through art through the ​Dear Data Project. 

This video is a great intro to Dear Data.

From Posavec's website:
Giorgia and I decided to use the language we both spoke for work - data visualisation - in order to get to know each other better, so we came up with a project we called Dear Data: a year of sending each other hand-drawn data postcards.

Every week for a year we collected and measured a particular type of data about our lives (examples include how often we laughed, the negative feelings we felt, times we were alone, our wardrobes, books, music, and so on).
At the end of the week we used this data to make a drawing on a postcard and then dropped the postcard in an English 'postbox' (me) or an American 'mailbox' (Giorgia).
Eventually, the postcard arrived at the other person’s address with all the scuff marks of its journey over the ocean: a type of 'slow data' transmission, culminating after a year in a collection of 104 unique esoteric datasets and visualisation methods.

The artists mailing their postcards each week. From medium.com

from http://www.stefanieposavec.com/dear-data

from http://www.stefanieposavec.com/dear-data

from http://www.stefanieposavec.com/dear-data

from http://www.stefanieposavec.com/dear-data

from http://www.stefanieposavec.com/dear-data

from http://www.stefanieposavec.com/dear-data

Artists Lupi and Posavec drew attention to the small or overlooked parts of their days using these post cards.  As they collected this data they came up with a unique way to represent themselves.
We create data all the time- every purchase, website, Netflix pick and message leaves behind a little bit of information that tells a story about us.
A self-portrait is a picture we create of ourselves. Lets use data to create our own Data Self-Portrait. 

Part 1: Data Self-Portrait
Materials: paper and something to draw or color with (it is helpful to have a black marker as well as something to add color like colored pencils or markers but a pencil and the back of an old envelope will also work)
You can also create this on your ipad on a program such as AdobeSketch or Apple's ProCreate.

The following lesson came from the TED website and was created by Giorgia Lupi.

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-draw-your-own-selfie-using-your-personal-data/

Here is my version of Lupi's project!

You can find out more about the Dear Data project here.
You can find more information about Giorgia Lupi on her website or Instagram @giorgialupi .
You can find more information about Stefanie Posavec on her website or Instagram @stefpos .
You can also listen to her TEDTalk about finding yourself in data.

Part 2: Create Your Own Data Postcard
Materials: paper and something to draw or color with (it is helpful to have a black marker as well as something to add color like colored pencils or markers but a pencil and the back of an old envelope will also work)
You can also create this on your ipad on a program such as AdobeSketch or Apple's ProCreate.

You can look at more examples of Dear Data postcards here.

1. Select the data you want to record and for how long. 
   Examples:

• The number of time you use an app on your phone/ipad in a day or the types of apps you have on your phone/ipad.
• The different doors you use in a day.
• The people that  you talk to in a day.
• The number of times you pet your pets in a day.
• The number of squirrels you see in a day.
• The cars you pass on a walk.
• The trees you can see out your window.
• The types of foods in your fridge (leftovers/fruits/veggies/dressings etc).
• The categories of books in your home.
• How many times you apologize in a day (and to whom).
• How many times you laugh in a day (and why).
• What music you listen to in a day (or weekend) and what types.
• The colors of shirts in your drawer/closet.
• The eye colors of your friends or family

2. Collect your data.  You can use your phone, photos, a sticky note, scrap paper or whatever works for you. The more data you have the more interesting your artwork may be!

I chose to record the beverages that I had in a day.

3. Analyze your data. Assign colors or symbols to your data.  Think about why you are picking those colors or symbols.

4. Draw your data! Use the symbols and colors you chose to draw your data. Add a title and decorative details if you wish.