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When is the last time you felt truly grounded? Embracing the life stories of others, captured in each frame, becomes a catalyst for personal growth and well-being. Photography allows us to delve into diverse cultures, fostering empathy and connection as we share in the joys and challenges of individuals worldwide. In the narratives of Mariam […]

Happy 2024 Everyone~ And just like that, we’ve stepped into a new year! Yesterday, there’s a strong likelihood that you or one of your friends captured photos of colorful bursts of fireworks against the night sky. This almost instinctual reaction to photograph fireworks mirrors an idea that might elevate your sense of hopefulness as you

PRIMALS COMPETITION ENDING We are nearing the end for our first ever photo competition, “NEEDS ME”. Every day we are amazed by the unparalleled creativity and perspective you all have brought to this competition. It is incredibly inspiring to see the unique ways the SeeingHappy community contributes to the world. If you haven’t had a

PHLOURISH IS HERE This week SeeingHappy is announcing our PHLOURISH program – we are putting the entire program on our site along with a library of photographic prompts. The main aim of our program is to show how photography, both the skills of photography and the content we photograph, can lead to different ways of

This week we would like to introduce you to three more artists: Edgar Degas, Louise Nevelson, and Henri Matisse. Each one of these artists are trailblazers in the history of modern art. They each experimented with motion, contrast, and color, and challenged both artists and viewers to expand their perception of what art could be.

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