It’s been more than 7 days that I’ve been participating in Jessica Lin’s “21 Days of Joy” project, and not surprisingly, it’s given me lots to think about!

But first, a recap on the first week’s joy activities! This little montage of images captures what I got up to for each day’s prompt.

Day 1’s instruction was to SAVOUR something, and my sure-fire joy maker each morning is a cup of Italian coffee. I took the savouring to a new level by giving myself a warm facial with the empty hot cup afterward!

Day 2’s prompt was to listen to a favourite piece of MUSIC. I have many playlists of positive music, but one that never fails to transport me into a blissful state is Ceelo Green’s “Music to my Soul”. Listen here.

Day 3’s suggestion was to take a walk in NATURE, but as we were experiencing a walloping snow storm, I chose instead to observe the changing landscape outside my window. I became very curious about the shapes the snow took as it fell on things in my yard, and how it truly became a “Marshmallow World”.

Day 4’s prompt was to MOVE for joy, and for me, I always find joy in dancing. So a short dance party was held in my studio to the beats of my dance playlist.

Day 5 encouraged us to SMELL something mindfully for 5 minutes, noticing the specific feelings or memories that arise. I was at a restaurant that day enjoying a cup of English Breakfast tea (not my usual tea choice) and surprisingly, a flood of teenage memories came back to me – under blankets in a friend’s home listening to Bruce Cockburn records in winter.

Day 6’s prompt was to experience a favourite COLOUR. Mine is orange, and as it was a studio day, I pulled out an older painting that showcased 2 lone oranges I came across on a Tuscan street. This painting exemplifies what the colour orange does to me – it brightens up any environment.

Day 7 was all about trying out a new FLAVOUR. On a bakery visit, I selected a new honey flavour called Hot Garlic, which turned out to be milder than expected but also delicious. As my Mom was staying with me through most of the week, she also participated by trying out the Lemon Ginger flavour. She ended up going home with a jar!

So, what am I feeling and thinking after a week of these activities?

THOUGHT #1: Being prompted to create joy versus my daily practice of observing joy has certainly been a change. During this project, I stopped my daily observation practice and just focused on the project activities. What I discovered is that I didn’t always achieve a joyful state with the suggested activity – it was pleasant or fun but not “joy”. I consider JOY to be a more heightened and transcendent feeling, a blissful or greater pleasure. But that’s okay. I reminded myself that this list of activities is to be explored and experienced, in order to uncover where the joy could be created for each person. And when you know, you can act on it when you need a good dose. For example, I confirmed that I can always turn up the tunes and dance myself into joy, if there isn’t any currently around.

THOUGHT #2: As Jessica asked a group of us “joy-mongers” to publicly share our experiences daily, I chose to use the Stories tool on my Instagram art account. This type of content is not what I usually post, so in retrospect, I believe it caught people off-guard because I got lower levels of engagement for the entire week.

It also made me wonder if there is a hesitancy about acknowledging joy – a fear or guilt or some other barrier. So, I researched this phenomenon a little, and found out that there’s a common feeling called foreboding joy (see Brene Brown’s work) – where if you open yourself up to joy, you expect a big negative reaction to immediately follow. This is a complex subject that Brene Brown has studied for years, so it’s hard to crystalize in a few sentences here. But I suspect that being vulnerable on many fronts, including joy, feels risky for many.

In addition, I discovered other joy-happiness studies where a growing collective cynicism towards joy has been detected – where expressing joy is seen as naive, inauthentic, immature and unsustainable. Especially when times are challenging and the pervasive messages are negative, accessing joy can be a difficult choice.

Honestly I felt a little of this in the first 7 days, or an undercurrent that some different energy was afoot. I also think that the timing of this project may have contributed to some of the quiet, as more countries are feuding, economies are under fire, and stability is becoming rarer and rarer. I don’t know if any of this research or the current global environment explains what was happening, or maybe my Instagram audience just prefers that I post my art and that’s how I might contribute positively to their day? Not sure about any of this, but I’m very curious to learn more.

In conclusion, this project has made me reflect more deeply on joy – in our society and in my own joy practices. I’ve realized that choosing joy does not come easy, and it does require vulnerability to share it with others who are inevitably experiencing something else. I’ve also learned that I must resume my previous daily joy observation because it builds and strengthens my joy-observing muscle that I can use all day long, every day. I’ve missed it. I will continue it in another format though – more to come on that.

In the meantime, onward into the next 7 days of the “21 Days of Joy” project!