How do we design joy into our everyday life?
I’m usually stuck in traffic for an hour one-way every day to work so I’ve tried to make it into a habit to try to finish an episode of a podcast every workday. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with NPR’s TED Radio Hour which manages to bring together TED talks and interviews with the speakers in a very compelling way.
One of the interviews that I found intriguing was from Ingrid Fetell Lee and on the subject of finding joy…
… or rather how to design joy.
As someone who considers herself to be an amateur designer, the thought of being able to design joy into my everyday life was a compelling one.
TODAY I LEARNED
HOW TO DESIGN JOY
Bright Colors, Indication of Abundance, and Round Shapes
Those were the three similarities that Ingrid noticed in photos where the subject matter brought her joy and, if you consider our evolution history, it makes sense.
We like bright colors because it was an indication that the food we were able to consume is fresh. We like seeing
…. I forget.
But I think one gets the hint. I’ve been called a very happy person and, if handwriting is an indication of one’s personality, it shows – my handwriting is very round and big.
Other things that give me joy are:
- Bubbles in bubble baths
- Corgi butts
- Fresh fruits at the farmer’s market
Assignment for Myself
My goal is to look for more things that bring me joy to see if the same principles apply. Additionally, I will love to deliberately design more joy into my life.
Exactly how that will look like…. I’m not sure.
Watch & Learn
To hear more about Joy, listen to the TED Radio Hour episode: