Happiness Sprinkles + Book Club ZOOM Link
+ Bending Reality through Art and Awe
Hello, Protagonists! In this post, you’ll find:
🥳 Happiness Sprinkles (my favorites/things worth smiling about this month)
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight - celebrating what you’ve been reading and writing
📚 Reminder! Our Book Club “Holiday Party” is this Sunday, December 8th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT
» Book Club ZOOM Link at the bottom of this post
🥳 Happiness Sprinkles: Things Worth Smiling About in November/early December
Here are a few delights that I enjoyed in the past month. I hope they bring a smile to you, too!
Playfully Twisted Sculptures - These delightful sculptures by Alex Chinneck are the epitome of the kind of things that make me smile! They are the perfect combination of imagination, skill, and joy.
More photos here.
I also enjoyed this 2021 interview where the sculptor talks about bending reality through art, awe, and accessibility.
“The arts offer the most wonderful vehicle to momentarily escape reality and I suppose my work tries to hand people the keys.
I think that public art has to resonate with the public, and if it doesn’t then it’s not doing its job. There’s no room for elitism in the public realm and I try to lend my work a playful warmth that endears it to any onlooker irrespective of demographic.” — Alex Chinneck
Sometimes it’s worth it to “miss” part of your life - This peaceful video was a gentle reminder to slow down and take time to appreciate the small moments in life. It was assigned to me as homework by my French teacher, but you can turn on English subtitles. I really loved this one.
“Adults Who Discovered They Had a Twin” - This was a sweet piece about five sets of brothers and sisters who met their twins later in life, and what happened next. I admit, I teared up. (But then again, I happy-cry at everything!)
Literary Deep Dive into Dragons - If you are a book nerd like me, you might enjoy this podcast episode between two British historians about how the dragons we know in literature today came to be. They discuss everything from the dragons beloved by Chinese emperors to the serpent in the Garden of Eden to hydras, sea monsters, and more.
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight—You’re the Hero of the Story!
Every month, I feature a few of our community members to celebrate books, essays, or other projects that you have loved or written:
👏🏼 Sarah Frison published The Festive Belgian Bakery: Holiday edition. Sarah is a Belgian chocolatier and pastry chef, and she teaches you how to make chocolate figures, as well as shares cozy recipes for speculaas, Epiphany cake, and more. Congrats, Sarah!
👏🏼 Chandra Clarke published Let's Fix This: Cleaner Living in a Dirty World, which gives “practical, step-by-step actions you can take immediately to reduce your personal impact and promote a healthier planet.” Congratulations, Chandra!
Want to share something that you’ve recently read or written?
Just reply to this email or drop a comment below with a 1-2 sentence description. I can’t wait to hear from you!
CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY is a friendly, vibrant community of thousands who believe that EVERYONE can spark creativity and build an inspired, happier life.
📚 Book Club for Writers & Curious Readers
ZOOM Link - THIS SUNDAY
It’s time for our low-key, introverted, book people “holiday party”— by which I mean, we all grab a cozy blanket and a mug of hot chocolate and talk about books and writing from the comfort of our own homes. 😊
»Feel free to come even if you haven’t read the book. (Just be prepared for spoilers.)
Book:
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
Time:
Sunday, December 8th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
During the book discussion, we’ll chat about:
Writing from many different points of view
Tying short stories together into a cohesive novel
The author’s voice and how it’s used to set the mood/tone of the story
Sales and marketing angle: the appeal of novels about writers and books
During the writers’ hangout portion, we will talk about:
Setting intentions for our creative practices in 2025:
what is a realistic, kind way to approach your writing?
what creative goals do you have for yourself?
is there anything you’d like to change about your creative practice in 2025, from how you’ve approached it in the past?
To prevent Zoom-bombing from not-nice people, the Zoom link is below the paywall.
This also allows us to keep our members’ book discussions private from the general internet; it’s nice to have a cozy, totally private space for just us!
The Book Club is the only part of the community that is behind a paywall; everything else is free.
If you’d like to join us in the Book Club, you can upgrade to a paid membership here:
or:
Get a complimentary paid subscription when your friends subscribe:
1 referral = one-month paid subscription, comped
2 referrals = three-month paid subscription, comped
3 referrals = one-year paid subscription, comped
ZOOM LINK BELOW:
💛