Dear SeeingHappy Community,
Last month, I had the honor of speaking at the International Positive Psychology Association’s World Congress in Brisbane. My talk was titled:
“What Are You Looking At? (The Radical Act of Seeing Happy)” – a question meant not to challenge, but to invite.
We began with a photo – the winning image from our Renewal Competition – projected large, luminous, alive. And in that moment, the room paused. People stopped scrolling. Stopped rushing. And simply looked.
JOY WITH MOTHER NATURE
BY PRANAB BASAK
“Joy with Mother Nature”
That image wasn’t just pixels. It was a moment of hope. A trace of resilience. A quiet act of beauty after burnout.
And that’s what SeeingHappy is all about.
A Moment to Celebrate
We’re thrilled to share that SeeingHappy was honored with the inaugural award from the Positive Arts & Culture Division of the International Positive Psychology Association.
“SeeingHappy is an outstanding non-profit organization interactively integrating photography and positive psychology on its global digital platform. The Positive Arts & Culture Division of the International Positive Psychology Association is pleased to present its inaugural award to SeeingHappy in recognition of its transformative work of helping all of us find the positivity in everyday life.”
To receive this recognition – surrounded by researchers, practitioners, artists, and change makers – was deeply moving. It affirmed what we’ve always believed:
Photography, when infused with intention, becomes a force for human flourishing.
Sparking Conversations of Renewal
With the generous support of our friends at IPPA and ICMS, we were able to host our largest exhibition to date, featuring 83 large-scale printed photographs. If you haven’t been contacted yet, please know we are still in the process of reaching out to all featured photographers. Below, you’ll find a few highlights from the exhibition. Thank you for being an integral part of sharing your vision of Renewal with the world.
Joy Isn’t a Luxury – It’s a Lifeline
We live in a world that feels heavy.
War, climate fear, loneliness, digital fatigue.
In times like these, joy can seem naive. But science tells us it’s not.
Hope matters more when life is hard.
Gratitude protects our mental health like a psychological raincoat.
Awe boosts our immune system.
So no – joy isn’t frivolous. It’s fundamental.
That’s why SeeingHappy exists.
Not to distract, but to nourish.
Not to flood the feed, but to shift the lens.
Here is an excerpt from a Visions of Renewal participant that captures this message beautifully:
“I am writing to you not just as a participant of the Visions of Renewal global photography contest, but as someone who has been deeply transformed by the spirit of this initiative.
The concept of Renewal is more than just a theme — it’s a way of seeing the world that I had nearly forgotten. Your words, “the regenerative capacities of the universe,” were not just poetic — they were deeply healing. Reading the other participants’ stories, immersing myself in the emotions behind their images, I found something I didn’t even realize I was looking for: hope.
The work shared through this platform — images of recovery, rebuilding, compassion, and care — gave me a reason to believe again. To believe that amidst everything that is broken, there still exists the possibility of grace. That even in darkness, light quietly returns.”
–Shubhodeep Roy.
We will be sharing work from Shubhodeep Roy in the coming months.
-Mandy
This newsletter was partially edited using ChatGPT-4.
