There’s a new book out that I came across at a Chapters/Indigo bookstore this past week. It’s called “Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness.” The author is Ingrid Fetell Lee who is a designer. She has a design blog called “The Aesthetics of Joy.”
The concept of joy for me has always been that it’s something out of reach that I have to find – elusive and precious. But, Ingrid Fetell Lee dispels that idea of joy in her book by showing how we can find joy and create joy in the here and now. The author says ” At the heart of this book lies the idea that joy isn’t just something we find. It’s also something we can make, for ourselves and for those around us.”
There are certain design elements that bring joy to everyone – like a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a sculpture, a comfortable piece of furniture, or a favourite quilt. I bought a bunch of gladioli of different colours last Thursday and most were not opened up. I’m delighted each day as they open up and I can truly say that I feel joyful with these blooms around me. Their colours and their beauty energize me. I go over to the table where they are and admire them several times a day.
Ingrid Fetell Lee says in her book, “A body of research is emerging that demonstrates a clear link between our surroundings and our mental health. For example, studies show that people with sunny workspaces sleep better and laugh more than their peers in dimly lit offices, and that flowers improve not only people’s moods but their memory as well. As I delved deeper into these findings, joy seemed to become less amorphous and abstract to me and more tangible and real. It no longer seemed difficult to attain, the result of years of introspection and difficult practice. Instead I began to see the world as a reservoir of positivity that I could turn to at any time.”
While we’re all aware of the basic research in psychology around these things, the author has divided her book into chapters that cover such interesting elements as: Energy, Abundance, Freedom, Harmony, Play, Surprise, Transcendence, Magic, Celebration, and Renewal. She talks about color and light and how transformational these elements are in bringing joy to our lives.
“Noticing color and light has changed the world around me. Bright hues in the cityscape, found on street signs and in bike lanes, window boxes and graffiti, have become little gifts for me – small infusions of warmth and life. Energy gives you the power to make your own hearth, your own sun.”
All design elements enhance our lives personally and collectively and can bring us joy. This books covers “aesthetics” in a fun, enjoyable manner. I don’t want to give it all away but just to encourage you to read it for yourself.
You may also want to look at her Ted talk: Where Joy Hides and How to Find It.
Photo of my gladioli below.
