One Day Left - Collaboration ACTIVATED (Your Response Needed)

I'm a bit late bc just saw it here. Snowfall. :) Nicole Forbes

Fresh snow. I know I'm late but snow is such uncomplicated joy! Credit: Heidi

Dread Pirate Potato. Credit: Terri O. (I may be too late, though! I didn't realize it was after midnight here!)

This may be too late (my fault if so), but - that spark. Explanation: that feeling of inspiration and excitement, an energetic call to action. Whatever causes it, it’s joyful to feel alive like that.

Shakespeare! (both watching and performing) Credit: Tamara S.

Word(s): Horror novels Credit: Alenka

Word: Birding Credit: Lauren P Context: Just moved away from everyone and everything I know to start fresh and I’ve been volunteering outdoors and going birding. Nothing makes me happier than hearing their calls.

Word: Möbius Explain: the shape of the ring that they wear in The Steerswoman books. Heidi is a close second choice for joyful book

Word: Bread (context: specifically when I pull the lid off my dutch oven to reveal a fresh loaf) Credit: Anna I

My cats! Credit: Becca Context: my cats Nori and Kimchi keep me sane!

Books! Credit: Matt F

urban meandering

urban meandering Credit: Erica

Music Credit: Ryan

Singing to my children Credit: Auspicious Q

Native PNW Orchids To expand I’m a plant biologist and I love finding interesting plants hiding in the woods while I’m at work. Credit: Margarete

Dungeons & Dragons Credit: Katie T. Gosh I just love playing this ridiculous game with my friends. I probably laugh more during one two-hour session than I do the rest of the week, sometimes. It's the best.

Word: Hiking (by the ocean) Credit: Erin

Word: Safety. Credit: Mx.Rex.

Star Trek Credit: The Ions My partner and I binged all of Voyager when we first started dating, and now we have a 2 year old who loves "Space Show" and sings along whenever one of the theme songs is playing.

Dragons Credit: Robyn

Body. To expand, the times I am fully in my body are incredibly joyful, like when I’m exercising well and feel the strength flowing through me, or during great sex or eating something delicious or focused meditation. Sometimes I even lose track of the boundaries where my body ends and everything else is. Credit: Derende

Caring Focusing more intentionally on caring for the people in my life, and caring about things I enjoy unreservedly has been an emotional and spiritual practice that has been very healing for me over the past few years. Credit: Katie

Libraries Credit: Veronica The most calming thing when I’m stressed is wandering around a quiet corner of a library or bookstore.

Letter Writing Credit: Andrew In the midst of pandemic, I was losing my mind (my own version of space camp emphasized the importance of routine, and that just went out the window for the first six months). So my wife told me I should get a hobby. I had just bought the John Oliver stamps and thought it would be sweet to send my friends letters. Well it's been 2.5 years since then and I've sent out over a thousand handwritten letters. (averaging about 450 per year) and I LOVE it

Dancing Credit: Elizabeth Specifically, swing dancing. I love dancing, but I particularly love how swing dancing makes me feel. I feel powerful and sexy and that all eyes should be on me!

Wildflowers Credit: Catherine I get really run down by winter and cold weather - seeing the first flowers emerge at the start of spring every year always brings me such tremendous joy that the cold will end and the sun will return!

Forest Credit: Sarah NA

Spontaneous hugs from my kids! Credit: Deniz Bevan

Ocean! Credit: Lucy

Making Chainmaille jewelry!! Credit: Hedgebug

Hearing my sister laugh Credit: Elizabeth I apologize if this is too long!! If it's making life difficult for you, feel free to shorten it to sister. Recently my sister checked herself into rehab for substance abuse, and after she graduated, she laughs more. (: It brings me so much joy to hear her alive and happy and sober. I love her and I'm so proud of her!

Kitties Credit: Claire My sweet girl Tribble, who is always looking for the next lap to sit on, keeps me company while I work, and wakes us up by sitting on our chests, purring loudly, and licking our faces just to make sure. My mother's big boy Cory, who loudly demands food, vigorously kneads biscuits, and has discovered laps in his old age. My sister's two boys, Kami and Bagheera, who purr loudly every time we skype and enjoy belly rubs.

(Scuba) diving -AJ Nothing more peaceful than having to concentrate entirely on your breathing and buoyancy, and nothing cooler than exploring the underwater world and meeting its inhabitants

Screaming opossums! Credit: Marisa My wife and I do wildlife rehab, and my favorite are the little baby opossums that instinctively open their mouths to “scream”at you and and show you all their Big Scary Teefs when you go to pick one up. But actually they have no idea what to do if that doesn’t work to scare you away, and you can fully just stick your finger in their open mouth and instead of biting you they just look at you like “oh no, I was not actually prepared for this, what do??” It always makes me smile, and also reminds me that we’re all just mammals (or marsupials) doing the best we can to navigate the world with our weird confused animal brains. 💜

Mermaid Credit: Lucia Because they are awesome, mythical creatures, and I love legends and folklore. My favorite version is the European myth of the Melusine (similar to mermaids, but a little bit more serpent-like). She was a half-woman, half-serpent nymph living in a lake when she fell in love with a human man. She was granted the wish to be transformed into a woman with the caveat that every seven days, she would transform back into the creature for some time. To do so, she convinced her husband that she needed to be left alone once per week without being disturbed, alone in her room. Queen of self-care and alone time :)

Plants! credit, Fey

Drawing Credit: Monica My favorite creative outlet these days because it’s immediate and tangible! once you make a mark-it’s there, you can see it. Love this project idea- I can’t wait to see what unfolds!

Cello!!! creds: K8 (ps, first time commenter long time admirer, I think your work and expression is so cool and a source of creative inspiration for me! Thanks Erika!

Flow Credit: Eric

Strength Credit: Karen

Takeoff (no credit) I love that moment on an airplane when it starts to roll down the runway. My happy place is sitting in a window seat, looking out at the sky. I don't even mind if I'm in coach and it's a 12 hour flight. I just like being on an airplane. I also love when my new newborn smiles at me, but that's pretty universal, I think.

Islands. Credit: annetten I don’t quite know why, but travelling by boat to small islands in the sea just puts my mind at ease like nothing else, and the experience of being there - sort of in a different world, ocean on all sides - gives me a feeling of peace and happiness that I rarely experience elsewhere, if at all. Tiny islands are the best. If I can walk from one end to the other in less that an hour, it’s perfect. I love watching the ocean from an island.

Zooming! I think I'm a bit like a greyhound... I basically want to lie around not doing anything almost all the time, but whenever I get on my bike or put on my skates (ice or roller) or even run a short sprint (so rare), I have a brief moment before I start to notice the effort I'm putting in where I feel like zooming around under my own steam is the ABSOLUTE BEST!!!

Pumpkins Credit: Patricia I especially love going to a pumpkin patch and seeing the warm orange of growing pumpkins peeking out between the green leaves. There's just something exciting about that brightness at the end of summer and into the fall. And I especially love the time around Halloween when people begin carving their pumpkins to create jack-o-lanterns. The warm glow in the night is so comforting and delightful to me - I look forward to it every year. ✨️

Stories Credit : Elyn Reading them, watching them, sharing them with people.

Credit: Jaeger. Joy: The sky. Specifically, the incredibly colors of sun sets, the beautiful peacefulness of the rare times I get up early enough to watch a sun rise, the constellations in the night sky, going out in the wee hours of the night, in the cold, to look at the stars and try to catch a meteor shower, the thought of all the incredible astronomical bodies and elements hanging out in space behind/beyond the sky we can see, just... All of it, everything sky related. Found out not everyone is impressed with the sky when my partner told me of an old coworker he had where they were opening up the coffee shop they worked at together and there was a gorgeous sunrise outside and he remarked on it and the coworker replied with "what? It's just the sky" - like, no big deal. Fully changed my worldview, and so now I value and own my love of all things sky all the more.

The gaze of a pet who loves you back! Credit: Kim

Daffodils Credit: Noella

Baby giggles. Credit: Swati

Beach Credit: Laura I love everything about it: the smell, the breeze, the sounds, the salt.

Books!! Credit: Ealasaid I both love to read books and love to bind blank ones (like for journals/sketchbooks). Also I love when other people take my blank books and use them, that feels amazing! Books are magic! Like, they take stuff from one brain and hold it, and then other brains can use the book to experience the stuff, and books can even last for hundreds of years! The stuff can go from one brain to other brains because of squiggles on paper! MAGIC. So hype for this project!

Word: Sprite (or if you want simpler, cat) Context and something to make it easier - she's my black cat that basically looks like Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service so if you want an inspired silhouette, or what-have-you, cool! Or artist's interpretation! Credit: Hannah K is fine!

Summer

Morning tea. (Trying to whittle that down to one thing that evokes an easy visual, here!)

Knitting Credit: Tegan Tempting as it was to say ferrets, knitting really soothes and comforts me when my thoughts are racing and my brain is screaming.

Writing! Credit: Foxes

Train travel Walking in the station, creating and sharing memories with loved ones, being lulled by the train's clatter. (also, sketching and reading during train commute was my fuel in my college years.)

Solving puzzles. Credit: Ellie Being able to take the time to focus on a (logic) puzzle, especially well designed difficult ones, really helps me calm down

Moss! (I really enjoy looking at it, from all angles. It's tiny and beautiful and a real wonder of nature.)

Hugs. Credit: Azaliz. I don't see my friends often because of the pandemic, but I'm lucky that most of my friends share my love of physical touch. Hugging them – or just touching them, like my legs on their lap – gives me a feeling of being home, being grounded, being surrounded by love. -- Edit: I wrote this comment, exited the post, and then I realized that *your Patreon posts* make me feel joy, too! I've been following your work for years, and I often smile widely or snort when I read your posts. I think it's too meta / could feel to self-congratulatory to be in your project, but I wanted to share my feelings nonetheless!

Slurpin’ ramen 🍜

Stories Credit: mwitch I love to read and listen to audiobooks and podcasts. I’ll do it while I’m knitting/crafting, cooking, working, showering, whatever. Having a story being told, whether it’s fiction, news, biographical, nonfiction, etc. is a necessity for me

Laughter. Laughing, and making others laugh, makes me so happy. Everything from performing on stage to sharing an inside joke with a best friend makes life more fun. Michael C

Host. I love cooking for and sharing a meal with the people I love in my own home. It feels so good to serve these folks my love for them on a platter of delicious food as I am a pretty good home cook. If the company is right and the love is there, it feels like a step away from anything egoic in nature. Just pure joy and love while they’re gathered with me.

Knitting One of my closest friends taught me during the pandemic. It keeps me grounded. It can help me deal with stressful situations. But it can also be quite challenging as well. I get to see progress. I get to undo mistakes - or learn how to fix them. It's fun and relaxing, and it makes me feel accomplished.

Water. I don't care if it is swimming in a lake, dumping a bucket of hot water over my head (or having a shower...), or a super cold glass of water to drink. Water = Bliss. Credit - TodayWendy

My hands. They are not pretty. Arthritic knuckle and funky tendons from kneading 1000’s of loaves of bread. The cakes they’ve crafted, decorated, and delivered. The hands of the dying they’ve held, the lives they’ve saved. The blind sorting of tangled lambs by nothing but feel. The traverse of bone, sinew, and muscle of breaking down a carcass. The things they’ve made, so many things. The bodies they’ve touched, in love and lust. The many, many, many meals they’ve crafted. Their constant moving and learning and changing.

Embroidery. (haha, ok, so that's going to get a bit recursively meta! But it's my favorite hobby and is what makes me happiest. These days I particularly enjoy doing goldwork, stumpwork, and bead embroidery. Ribbon embroidery is probably the next thing I'll tackle.) Credit: tim1724

Singing 🎶

Exchanging letters Credit: Zoe W (My favorite thing is opening letters from friends because they took the time to sit down and write something that we get to share together.)

Drawing them, reading them. Credit: Shinoeni

Comics.

Discovery- Learning and finding out new things. Will always make me happy and helps keep me going forward. Shaun

Friends, my chosen family. Credit: Cygnata

Chameleon Credits: Ilaria Because of their prehensile tail that rolls in spirals, because they express themselves with colors, because they see everything so well. They are awesome!

Knitting Credit: prunesmith

Being still in the forest (northwest temperate rainforest) -daveilers

Sunshine--particularly the feeling of warmth on your face and that glowy pink color it makes through your eyelids when you turn your face up on a sunny day. Winter depression has been kicking my ass this year, and sunshine has been scarce with all the rains, so it feels particularly precious to me right now.

Cats

Spreadsheets! -MacKenzie I am a total recreational organizer and I love how it feels to organize and track information in a way that's intuitive to me.

My Kids. The best thing I've ever helped create. I'm so incredibly proud of each and every one and they bring me such joy and love.

Organizing with friends. Credit: Dana Making a thing happen, bringing something to life that didn't exist before, something you couldn't have done under your own power = so good. Doing it with people you like, and then your relationships deepen and grow and trust is built and learning happens, and then maybe they are people you love and you are so grateful to be in community with them = even better. I've organized contra dances, singing circles, direct action for climate justice, a skill-sharing weekend festival, a massive queer craft fair with 1,000+ happy gays, and, just, the sense of teamwork and shared values and effort behind something that then gets given to the community and becomes an experience that belongs to everyone — it's euphoric and deeply connective and a very real slice of a better world that I so very much want. Also you're great and I so appreciate getting this view into your art and craft and creation. Thanks for sharing and collaborating with us!

Meditation Credit Robert

Storytelling Credit: mkhall

Hugs! (specifically my two stepsons piling in for a hug at the same time)

Writing with my best friend

Running - ML Running is so many things for me, competition, quiet reflection, the feeling of flow on good runs when everything is working, the place where I have felt most at peace with myself, a time for me to sort out thoughts (with a nice endorphin boost), a place where I can become/feel strong, part of my identity

Waves crashing credit: Elizabeth C. There's something about the perpetual motion crash, retreat, crash, retreat of the ocean that's soothing. A reminder to let some things go as it's all trivial in the grand scheme of things. Those waves will be crashing long after I no longer hear them.

My LGBTQ community! 🏳️‍🌈 - Ellie

Wombats - Kat K. Wombats are freaking adorable and accidentally hysterical. They are oddly square (including their cube-shaped poos, which they proudly place on display on top of rocks and everywhere), which makes them even more endearing, in my opinion. And the sounds they make chomping grass are so great - happy little snort-grunts brimming with contentment. Their bums are especially wonderful -- not just because of the cube-poo. They are marvellous examples of natural engineering. They can use them to block out their burrows and even crush the skulls of their enemies. Tasmania is one of my favourite places in the world, with Cradle Mountain one of my favourite spots in Tassie. Crossing the boardwalk tracks through the moorlands, you often spot wombats, sometimes right next to you. It's a delight that brings me joy just thinking about it. Cube poo: https://www.science.org/content/article/how-do-wombats-poop-cubes-scientists-get-bottom-mystery Wombat bums: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2020/11/wombat-bums-theres-more-than-meets-the-eye/ Terri and Bindi Irwin showing off an adorbs wombat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP-7Z2az_g0

Brewing. Specifically making 8 pints from grain on the stove More specifically designing recipes and trying to make something weird that you can't buy. More generally Making. More generally Learning To Make Something New. More generally That Point On The Learning Curve Where You've Got The Basics But Are Still Making Improvements Each Time Without Feeling Like Grind. (Credit C Dave)

Cuddles

Knitting - Bailey Same as saianne, I love the craft of knitting. I've done crochet (I'm not very good yet, I find it too demanding of my focus since I haven't learned it well), I've done a bit of embroidery and cross stitch. Nothing has caught my joy quite like squishing a thing I made, or the joy of seeing a thing I am making take shape, or the joy of finding some unique, fun colors to incorporate into something I get to wear that I am going to knit. I also know it's my greatest joy, because it is also my greatest frustration when I have to put a project in time out.

watch it snowing = snowflake

Preparing for roleplaying - Harald As a Gm, it makes me happy to prepare stuff, even if that goes completly bonkers in game. At least everyone has fun.

Snails Credit: Jezcabelle

Details. All the little things - examples could be: Flowers being sniffed, a little critter going about their day, the oily metallic sheen of a beetle, the morning sun on a spruce tree. Credits: Al & Lars

Travel

Music - Credit Svea

Reading

arroz con pollo (both the dish and the Tito Puente song! Ideally, one listens to the one while preparing the other) Credit as donutage (It's really cool that you're doing this, by the way!)

Grasshoppers or bush crickets (they look similar but not the same, pick what you like!) Credit Rosina I am a hobby naturalist and I spend some time of every summer hunting down rare orthoptera (the smart word for grasshoppers and crickets). The data will be used scientifically but finding, watching and trying to ID the little critters brings me joy. Plus, where there is diversity in one kind of species/taxa, there usually is more. So they come with beautiful wildflowers, butterflies and birds.

Making!

Worm. I'm a gardener who adores my little composting buddies, as well as referring to a group of beloved characters I share with a friend as "The Worms", leading to all sorts of jokes and joy and shared laughter. Also I think they're just so dang cute.

Hosting (dinner). --Tabitha My pot of stew is almost done and there goes the doorbell---a lovely moment

Guests! - David Z I just love having people over for dinner, drinks, hang out time, whatever. Guests bring me such joy. I just love people

Oh gosh... stories have come up numerous times already otherwise I would pick coming-of-age stories... Instead I'm going to go with: "Sequential art" because that term encompasses so many different types of storytelling that I adore and it can also include the coming-of-age stories that I adore.... I mean there's always so much learning involved etc.! You can credit me as Ali Grotkowski

Sense of Wonder - Cassidy I could give so many answers that bring joy, nature and art and beyond, but this is what they all have in common.

Creating Stories - Mandy It's so much more than "writing" to me. The act of sharing a narrative, the emotions, the wonder, the excitement...! There's nothing better than being able to pluck a story from your brain and put it into someone else's.

Mail -Jay Just like the person gushing about the process of giving gifts, I love every step of sending/receiving mail. I savor writing/typing/inking letters to friends and family, I have rubber stamps and a special collection of postage stamps that I match to the recipient, I have wax seals and stickers and fancy/funky stationary and I save old calendars and tear out book pages and reuse packaging and cut out newspaper comics that make me think of people...it's my love language.

Quiet - Rachel W.

Dogs (also wolves) - I'm a dog (and other furry creature) lover! When I say this, to be clear, I mean that I have had conversations with my parents' adult friends where I mention the dog (named Quiche) said friend used to have when I was little and they say "you remember Quiche?!?!?!?!? To me, of course I remember Quiche, in general I remember dog names better than people names.

Fast food. Not having to cook my own meals. ☺️ -Zoe A.

Surfing - Nathan

Daydreaming. In a place where I can't physically or financially escape an enormous amount of stress, but I can find time everyday to relax my brain. no credit please, thank you for sharing your art with us ❤

Aerial dance Sharon Hughes This overlaps with Noël S's response, coz I absolutely do love silks, but also hoop, and rope, and cyr, and pole, and, and, and... The more I try, the more I find anything in the air brings me such joy. Aerial requires such focus to be safe, manage your stamina and create interesting shapes in the air, it's just something else.

Bagels

Knitting It's hard to pick one word. I'm obsessed with everything about wool and yarn art. (I also crochet too. And collecting yarn is yet another complementary hobby. 😅) And there are so many dimensions I want to communicate: the joy of planning a project, matching the yarn to the project and person and purpose it's meant for. The ancient art of taking hair off of sheep and making it into something you can wear to keep warm. The joy of working with wool that was farmed and milled 45 min away from my house. The joy of wearing something I made with my own hands and brain. It's my happy place.

Hedgehogs 🦔

Land snails - Juniper B. In 2022, I read "The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating" and just loved the way the author wrote about her adventure caring for a little land snail, and it got me into reading about snails and I learned so many interesting things about them 🐌

Prestidigitation - Leah W (small acts that seem like magic)

Music - Jim A.

Mountain skies - Julie S.

Baking bread- credit Ericka (just baking is fine too though).

Reading - Chelsea

Gift Giving - David S. I love spending hours hunting for the perfect little something I know someone I love will appreciate. The wrapping, the card, the anticipation, the unwrapping, the reaction - it's all joy!

Fresh bed sheets credit: Andrea S.

Juniper Credit: Margaret Juniper is my dog (I would include a pic here for you if I could, she's a Cardigan Welsh Corgi). She entered my life shortly after I finished grad school and we've done a lot together; moved across North America, done numerous obedience and fun classes, moved in with my partner and his two dogs, and just generally been having a good life together. She does a wonderful job taking care of me and I hope she feels like I do the same for her. I love her.

Sharing meals. Credit: Bex C.

Exploring Gender - Oliver Twirl As a non-binary drag performer being able to play around and explore the different parts of gender not only brings me gender euphoria it is also a beautiful queer joy.

Cats Credit: Threnn I have two kitties and they are just the best. They make every day happier for me. :)

Cold brew.

Words (credit: Lilac) I love the versatility of words. They can be used to do so much and can be strung together in so many ways! You can write a song to sing or a book or a poem, or tell someone something new or old or weird or familiar. I just like words.

Squids! - Alex L My favourite stuffed animal is a well loved and very cuddled squid. He’s been with me through thick and thin, sickness and health, the highs and the lows. Whenever I get really upset, I let his little leggies and he helps ground me down so I can tackle the issue without my brain flying in eight million directions. :)

Fencing (The sport, not the building activity :) ) Credit: Brian

Cheese. - Laine (No glamorous or heartfelt rationale, I just stress-eat my feelings, haha)

Rivers :)

One word is hard! Sunshine (on my skin). Credit: Karine

Backcountry skiing! (Credit: Lydia V) I live to be outside -- it fills me with a love for life and the world. During Northwest winters, being outside can be pretty glum. But skiing, especially in the backcountry, makes up for all the rain and overcast skies. I absolutely adore getting up into the mountains, working hard to get up a hill in the cold, and then feeling the freedom and exhilarating speed of skiing down.

Hiking Credit: Jess

Befriending SCRUB jays Credit: Crit (This is totally a duplicate, no real pedantry here 😆) Fun explanation: there’s a pair that live in my neighborhood, the bigger one takes peanuts from our hand. They’ve brought their kiddo to meet us once and it melted my whole dang heart.

Puppets, especially very small ones. Credit: Cecilia

Stories. Credit: Hecate_lionheart I love stories in all their forms. It feels like a primal human connection. It’s how we bond, this creation and sharing of stories.

Dogs!(Specifically, my dog running) Credit: Knave

Peonies in quasi bud form, tough little nuggets with something 3d springing forth beneath, anon

Notebooks! - Cee

Love You don't know how much joy you have until it's gone. Credit: Jon B.

learning, anon.

Fraggles. (Credit: Zena)

Purring foster kittens

My bed! Credit: CM

Floating Credit: Justadecoy Preferably in an Ocean but pool, river, whatever is OK Looking out at a horizon, walking into the water and feeling weightless and lightly rocked by waves

Mushroom hunting. Credit Katie W! This project sounds so good by the way. I can't wait to see all that joy!

Fuck, I'm getting all misty-eyed reading your responses roll in. Goddamn.

Birds

Homecomings. My spouse is away several months at a time, and it's always so wonderful when they land after a work rotation. Credit to Pouncy, please.

aerial silks - Noël S

Befriending bluejays

My dog Luna (she’s a scruffy terrier type), Lore for credit.

Japanese Whisky (You can credit Chris W)

Cross-stitching – Penny Gotch is fine for credit!

Planting spring bulbs. Credit Brenda Martin. We have a thriving squirrel population where I live so I wait until most of the squirrel-foraging is done and plant my bulbs in mid/late November. There's something about going out in the cold and rain to bury these tiny onions in the ground, knowing they will be beautiful spring flowers that makes me feel like I'm burying treasure. It always makes me happy.

Books! All books, but currently really enjoying the author Rainbow Rowell. No public credit please.

craft - Credit: Krista P (Explanation. I love seeing well crafted things — woodworking, hand sewing, even a beautifully done algorithm or essay. The beautify of the skill of the human mind)

Trails - Ripley

Smiles-Steve E

Acting - you can credit me as Jay M.

Rain - you can credit me as Dana H.! Looking forward to seeing everyone's responses

Chickens (as in the animals and not the food) and you can credit Laura Testa-Reyes

Music credit: Shanta Kaneshiro