“The lesson of renewal is that from small seeds big things grow. From the seeds of our own joy, a whole world can be reborn.” This quote is by Ingrid Fetell Lee, author and founder of The Aesthetics of Joy.
During the time my family and I have quarantined in COVID-19 it has become apparent what we do to sooth and create balance in our lives. For many people it has been an incredible struggle while others have seemed to flourish in isolation.
There is a difference in the pursuit of happiness which is a process; many of us work our entire life to attain “happiness.” Joy is in the moment. Joy is the rainbow that shows itself and then fades, creating a smile from ear to ear. That feeling how can we keep that feeling and get to it without waiting for a rainbow?
With this project, I created a set of visual, centering mandalas. Each is adorned with a positive affirmation or a prompt for contemplation, the intention is to create a space for anyone to take a moment, a breath. We all need to slow down, go deeply inward, reflect and relax. My intention is to provide that opportunity through the joy of mandalas.
There is a set of 8 mandalas, or circles(Sanskrit interpretation). On one side there is a mandala image created in Adobe Illustrator, on the other side is a word prompt for contemplation to facilitate reflection. The eight words are: perspective, humility, humor, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity.
