Joyful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a designer, the rich visuals and jealousy-inducing research trips Ingrid describes were a joy to read. I don't think it's rocket science; children are intuitively joyful, so most of us probably just lost that intuition somewhere. But it was fascinating to see someone think so deeply about the aesthetics of joy, then find and describe model examples of each.

First reading:
Designer Ingrid Fetell Lee looks closely at the aesthetics of joy.

She defines these as:
(1) energy: vibrant color and light;
(2) abundance: variety, lushness, multiplicity;
(3) freedom: nature, open space, wildness;
(4) harmony: balance, symmetry, flow;
(5) play: circles, spheres, bubbly forms;
(6) surprise: contrast and whimsey;
(7) transcendence: elevation and lightness;
(8) magic: invisible forms and illusions;
(9) celebration: synchrony, sparkly and bursting shapes; and
(10) renewal: blossoming, expansion, curves.

Lee encourages us to keep a Joy Journal, tracking each day the specifics of the things that bring us joy.

This book should be a help to those of us who are always interested in adding more joy to our lives.

Second reading:
“Too often, we move through the physical world as if it were a stage set, a mute backdrop for our daily activities. Yet in reality it is alive with opportunities for inspiration, wonder and joy. I hope this book empowers you to see more of these opportunities in the world around you and to seize them.”