Decoding Happiness
When you find yourself feeling filled up and completely content, take the time to list the specific moments that led to that feeling. That way, when the world doesn’t feel quite so bountiful, you know a few things that may help you reset and recenter yourself.
I tried this exercise over the weekend and thought I’d share it with you all. It’s a bit more personal than we tend to get around here, but I hope it resonates with you, and if not, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon enough.
1 PM ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON
specific moments leading up to this happiness:
- A few hours on a Friday evening spent strolling alone around LACMA—enjoying the Hawaiian Featherwork exhibit and learning about the work and life of Agnes Martin
- Writing emails that have more heart, rather than just responding to or requesting specific information—something I began trying to incorporate after I received an email from the painter Satsuki Shibuya in which she shared details of her weekend before delving into business and it meant so much to me.
- Treating myself to a Mexican hot chocolate
- Margaritas with a dear friend and her favorite people before she moves to Paris
- A long, authentic conversation over a Saturday morning coffee at Groundwork (one of the Kickstarter prizes) with the photographer Carolina Korman where we talked about loss and food and winding career paths and living away from the places we grew up
- Running into the always-lovely Laurel of Sweet Laurel outside Beaming for a quick hello and big hug
- Finding the most adorable card in the mailbox from Rosanna of Shorthand, where she shared that she was stoked Bossladies was selling so well at her shop and thanking me for making “such a beautiful publication”
the takeaways
(aka: the things that seem to make me most happy)
- Making time to stare at art. And going to the museum by myself so my mind has space to wander. I often get intimidated by the idea of going places alone, but I think the solitary, quiet contemplation fuels me creatively and clears space in my head to make room for new ideas.
- Listening to my body and not being embarrassed to order hot chocolate if I want it—even when everyone else is getting a black coldbrew and I feel like the antithesis of a hipster.
- Interacting with the people behind business in a way that feels like we are building more than just businesses but friendships as well
- Snail mail. I think you have to send more mail to receive it, so I think I might start sending letters instead of emails sometimes when the communication doesn’t have to happen so quickly.
- Not being afraid to go to an event where I only know the host—and meeting the people who are important to them. Chances are, if they are special to me, their people are going to be good people.
Over the course of the summer I’ll be exploring happiness more—within both a business context and a personal one—and making time for things that bring me joy. When ideas or concepts arise that I think you all might find interesting, I’ll share them here. I’d love it if we could embark on a happiness mission together.
Wishing you all a calm and joyful Sunday.
Warmly,
Chelsea
-
Photography of Sweet Laurel cookies by Grey & Elle.