Joymongering Digest

I’ve put together a list of resources that I found interesting and/or helpful as I was considering Joy and how (and why!) to amplify it while living through challenging times.

This list will continue to grow and evolve as I discover new resources to add to it :)

{This is the material and content that will feed the new artwork I’ll be making. I’m currently marinating on the idea of holding space for both rage and Joy at the same time, and the sort of positive action that becomes possible because of the tension between the two. I have no idea what this will look like as artwork, but I’m excited to find out!}

Writings by some of the other artists who I invited to be a part of my core Joymongering group:

  • Anna’s Whitmore has been blogging her Joymongering journey, as well as offering daily journal prompts. Her blog is here; scroll down or click here to start at day one.

  • Marion Younan (Art We Wonderful) has also been blogging her experiences, which you can find here and here.

  • Sara Leger has written summaries of her first two weeks as a Joymonger, which you can find here and here.

  • Jen Palmer has a Substack page, and she’s shared her early Joymongering thoughts there (perhaps more to follow!)

Resources that have been shared with me lately:

  • A friend also shared this article she read about surviving "the times" by not living inside the news, which seems important.

  • this is a 2022 conversation between Brene Brown and Karen Walrond - so helpful and very uplifting - an episode of her podcast Unlocking Us.

  • someone shared this great article about a technique called “Havening”, which is a system of a few simple physical actions you can do to reduce anxiety in your body.

  • Pep Talk for Artists podcast has a 4-part series about finding resilience through researching art history, and how people and artists of the past have dealt with living through dark times. Here’s the link to Part 1.

  • a friend shared a very grounding piece of writing that was sent to their team (in a social work environment); the theme of the brief piece is “Worry Is Not Work”, and I’ve posted it on my website here.

  • Pattie Gonia’s TED Talk about why Joy is a serious way to take action (geared to a climate change discussion, but relevant to any hard work that can benefit from Joy to fuel the fight). You can find it here.

  • Off The Grid, a podcast about leaving social media, aimed at entrepreneurs and small businesses who are no longer finding social media to be useful or joyful (guess what: that’s where I’m at! I’ll be leaving social media on March 20, 2025)

  • someone in an artist group I belong to shared this image, with a message about “microdosing hope”. I love this idea, and I think it’s both achievable and essential right now:


Book recommendations:

On Happiness, Joy, Mental Health:

  • The Happiness Project, and Life in Five Senses, both by Gretchen Ruben

  • The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal, PhD

  • Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, Or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do by Wallace J. Nichols

  • The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer

  • This is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More by Uma Naidoo, MD

On Ecology, Nature, Climate:

  • What if we Get it Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

  • Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li

  • 21 Rituals to Connect with Nature by Theresa Cheung

  • this one wild and precious life by Sarah Wilson

  • Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, and The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, all by Robin Wall Kimmerer

  • The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson

  • Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee

On the Joy of Creativity and Connection:

  • The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

  • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

  • All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me, by Patrick Bringley

  • Art as Therapy by Alain de Botton & John Armstrong

Generally Beautiful and Hopeful:

  • Where Things Touch: A Meditation on Beauty by Bahar Orang

  • The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

Joyfully yours,

xo
Jessica

**If you are able and feel so inspired, you can make a donation to support my work on this Joymongering project - any and all amounts are welcome and much appreciated!**

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