Whimsy

 untrue, imaginative

From Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, by Ingrid Fetell Lee. Ideas for what we like: circles (bubbles! cells! the earth!), things in the air (hot air balloons!), CoLoR, patterns (see below!), abundance (see below!), play. Whimsy is created more by curving lines than straight. 

The amazing power of color: 

Why BALLS? They're safe! no sharp edges to prick us! A new term (to me): Affordances. An affordance is a different way an object can be used. Designers limit the affordances so the design has a clear use. Everyday objects with fewer affordances help us know how to use them. Because play is undirected activity, the best toys can be used multiple ways. "Of all toys, balls have the broadest affordances. They contact the ground at only one point, thereby reducing friction and making them dynamic and unpredictable" (IFL). They can be hit, kicked, rolled, shot. Moreover," ' According to Stuart Brown, curvilinear movements send the message that we are operating in the land of the 'not real,' making it safe to engage."

Where are there circles? pom-poms, polka dots, wreaths. Also: Palais Bulles (Bubble Palace in France!)

pattern, color

Palais Bulles, France. Circles! bring life

COLOR: Whadda bout it? Edi Rama - restored Tirana, capital of Albania. Tirana had undergone a harsh dictatorship after the fall of Communism. It was a corrupt city racked by crime. Rama, the Mayor, covered a historic building with orange paint. What happened? Less litter, people started to pay their taxes, people claimed the streets felt safer. Seems surface level--but consider the change it wrought.

Where it began

How it continues...

The power of being looked at. Love. Being seen. The place is seen. The place you live is worthy of being looked at. it's worthy of being seen. Publicolor deployed a similar idea-engaging youth in painting community spaces. Color helps schools and public spaces feel safer.

Maybe something else to look into: Things Organized Neatly (Harmony creates joy). Another new term: Knolling - a design term for laying things out at right angles. Arranging items parallel or perpindicular and taking picture from above:

Another question: why is art more celebrated than finance? Why, if you told someone, would they want to stoke your dreams? why is it seen as more noble? (chosen for itself). 

Okay! won't use up any more pixels!

OK, PS: And is it any wonder? (after all this, upon opening my window)

- The Maker of All Abundance