News

Last week we mentioned we would begin sharing the work of several artists to demonstrate how art can be used to cultivate a psychologically rich life. We are beginning with examples from two prolific artists, René Magritte and Georgia O’Keeffe. See below to see samples of their art, their philosophy, as well as how photography […]

UNFURLING OUR EMOTIONAL HORIZONS UNFURLING by Cathy Jackson“Dahlia” Now more than ever, many people focus on polarity of opinions over common humanity. There is no denying that there is immense pain and suffering in the world, and so it is essential that we have understandings of well-being which make space for the all the emotional

REVISITNG PRIMALS SOUL SECRETS by Michael AlfanoSelected From Primals Photo Competition“Make visible what, without you, you might have never have been.” Robert Bresson In September we announced our first photography competition in collaboration with Jer Clifton at the University of Pennsylvania. Jer’s work is on “Primals”: the basic beliefs we hold about the world and their relationship to

We are pleased to announce that SeeingHappy’s founder, Mandy Seligman, will be presenting at the first international Symposium on Photography in Coaching on November 18th, 2023. If you are looking to learn more on how to capture unique perspectives and emotions visually, deepen self-awareness, build self-confidence and various personality strengths, create a visual dialogue, develop creativity, and reconnect with yourself, others, and

Dear Friends, SeeingHappy is an organization that cares deeply about people and their happiness so we are deeply saddened by the present state of the world.  It is difficult at such times to continue to be believe in a good and beautiful world. It seems almost ridiculous to think about positivity and happiness. Beauty, gratitude,

An editorial reprinted with permission from WellnessLetterOnline.com (in collaboration with the UC Berkeley School of Public Health) In 1998, a new domain of psychology called positive psychology was founded by Martin Seligman, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Seligman, then the president of the American Psychological Association, was reacting to the field of psychology’s original

STAY TUNED! In October we will be devoting the whole month to giving you ideas drawn from the history of art to inspire your photography, and to consider how the subjects in art can be a great source of inspiration for your own wellbeing and rich life.  For now take a look at the image at the

Guess what! We have some exciting news… SeeingHappy is about to launch our first photo competition.  The competition is based on the work of Jer Clifton at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Clifton has shown that there are 26 Primal World Beliefs (primals for short) which are very basic beliefs about the world, such as the

Dear Friends, Let’s talk about play. Google “play” and the definition states: To engage in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.  Over the past fifty years there has been a steady decline in children playing. Today, children and adolescents have less time and freedom to play than kids ever have

“AI camera photo happy moments photography” created by Adobe Express text to image photo generator Dear Friends, There has been a great deal of talk lately about AI and the impact it is going to have on our lives. One place that it has already caused major headaches is photography: the world famous Sony Awards

Dear Friends, We want to tell you about a groundbreaking new book, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. We are sure that all of you who subscribe and submit photos to SeeingHappy know how important it is to engage in photography – that’s what we do

Dear Friends, Talk about Awe!  Photography can literally change the way we see the world.  A macro lens can reveal awe inspiring details which we would normally miss– and combining a macro lens with extenders or a microscope intensifies the miracle. We want to tell you about an amazing exhibition currently on display through April 23rd

“WHAT THE LONGEST STUDY ON HUMAN HAPPINESS FOUND IS THE KEY TO A GOOD LIFE” Dear Friends, The title caught our eye – The longest study on human happiness? The key to a good life? What would you guess? Money? Success? A large house? The car of your dreams? Retirement at 35? None of the

Dear Friends, It feels as though January has flown by- how many people have already given up on New Year’s resolutions? “Winter Water.” To many people decluttering their space is a perfect resolution: Clear your space and clear your head! Make room for the new! There is indeed a lot to be said for creating

Dear Friends, In the last newsletter we asked you to help us inspire each other with photos and stories of what is good in our lives and what we are grateful for. “happiness is just being yourself” This week we are announcing a beautiful photographic exhibition from Dr. Natasha Shaginian-Needham that tries to do just

Dear Friends, Happy New Year to all of you! Thank you for being a part of our community and for supporting us through our second year. We are grateful for you and for every photo you post on our site. Your photos inspire us and warm our hearts. At the closure of each year, it

Dear Friends, How many of you remember your parents or grandparents “tinkering” around the house on their days off?  Often tinkering is just fiddling, puttering around, dabbling with the things you never usually prioritize in your daily routines. In our busy lives how often do we now just “dabble” in a new interest? It seems as if

Dear Friends, The SeeingHappy Team got together this month and took a field trip to NYC. We visited the Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, and saw the exhibition: Street Visions included remarkable photographs by a young American, Richard Scheuer, on a trip through pre-war Europe with his father in 1934. While the photos were

Dear Friends, This week you will be able to read Alec’s final blog in which he talks about the difference between street photography and documentary photography. Both can tell a story. What story will you tell? Alec says that although he describes himself as a street photographer he sometimes finds himself in a situation that calls

Dear Friends, This week you will be able to read Alec’s blog on creating a narrative. In this blog he says we can choose which story we tell. While this may seem self-evident, we don’t always stop to slow down and consider the implications our choices have on our well-being. Do you consistently choose to tell a of

Dear Friends, Today we remember 9/11. It has been 21 years since the attack on American soil that destroyed so many lives that day and in years to come.  The images are seared into our hearts. The Team at SeeingHappy

“Grief is the price we pay for love.” – HM Queen Elizabeth II Dear Friends, Today the team here at SeeingHappy want to pay our respects to the most famous and most photographed woman in the world, HM Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in Scotland on Thursday. It was a sad day for many

Dear Friends, This week we have an introduction and an exciting announcement: SeeingHappy is starting a photography blog to go along with our newsletter! Alec Rill, a great street photographer from New York will be letting us into the secrets of his art, sharing his techniques with us, and talking about how his photography has

Dear Friends, Happy belated 4th to all our subscribers here in the USA! So often holidays, once over, leave us with a sense of let down – what’s next? Just in case this is you, you might relate to Adam Grant’s description of “Languishing”. Adam characterizes languishing as feeling joyless and aimless:  “It is a sense of

Dear Friends, This week we received a beautiful email from one of our subscribers, Yuzhi Li, who kindly allowed us to share her story with you.We think that everyone can benefit from hearing her wisdom about the power of photography to help get us through troubling times. Yuzhi reminds us of the literal importance of

Dear Friends, This week we wanted to share a beautiful photograph by David Evans – one that seems to invoke peace, quiet, and mindfulness. One of the local vineyards in brilliant autumn display. Speaking of mindfulness, what does mindfulness mean to you? The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology categorizes mindfulness as an “openness to novelty,

Dear Friends, Whether you are going on a trip, spending time with family, enjoying the fresh air, or having a barbeque with friends, you are bound to embark on some sort of adventure this summer.  When you have something you are looking forward to, how do you look forward to what you have yet to

Dear Friends, Dorothea Lange’s iconic photo “Migrant Mother” symbolizes the hunger, poverty and hopelessness endured by so many Americans during the Great Depression. You probably have heard the story of how she was left destitute with many children to feed and had to sell the tires from her truck to feed them. Lange’s photograph was

Dear Friends, There seems to be so many things to worry about these days, and it can be difficult to turn off these thoughts and connect with the good in the world. One method that has been used to unplug for centuries is meditation. I love the beautiful scenery here. “Meditation is a simple practice

Dear Friends, Here in the US we are mourning the loss of 19 students and 2 adults in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. According to NPR, 27 school shootings have happened thus far in 2022. Our hearts go to everyone during these tumultuous times. In occurances where there are wretched acts of violence and tragedy,