gradients

i have been reading a book on the aesthetics of joy, and according to the author gradients often trigger associations of transcendence and harmony–two, of ten, elements that comprise her aesthetics of joy.  it’s an odd challenge, in my opinion, to try and classify joy. i wasn’t at all convinced it was a worthwhile endeavor at the outset. but it was clear the author had done a lot of data gathering, and research, and she had some interesting design chops, and so i stuck with her. then a funny thing happened. the more i read, the more it became evident that she was very nearly perfectly defining the aesthetics of STILL. at first i was surprised, maybe even a little shocked, but as i sat with it a while, it made more and more sense. STILL is about being still. about being present. about seeing (doing) one thing at a time. but it is also very much about joy. about celebrating our natural world. about renewal. and harmony. transcendence. and abundance.  STILL is about slowing down…to find joy.

white pine needles

p.s. if you are curious about the book, you can check it out here.  because i know you will be wondering, here are the ten elements of the aesthetics of joy that the author suggests:

• abundance
• harmony
• freedom
• transcendence
• renewal
• energy
• play
• surprise
• magic
• celebration