The Savvy Designer

I'm taking a break today from my usual subject matter to share with all of you a project I heard about from my friend THE COMMUNICATRIX.  Alex Shalman is conducting a contest on his site which poses 5 questions about happiness to influential people in his life.  All responses will be posted daily. Its a wonderful way to find new resources for inspiration out there on the web. I've decided to answer the questions here myself because the creation of this site has brought to me a sense of fulfillment and happiness that I did not expect when I began. My goal was to experiment with creating a site, but through doing it I found I had a passion for bringing inspiration and information to new designers that I had not realized was there before. There are no financial gains in this endeavor , simply the positive feedback from great people ,and the connections it has brought to me through blogging.

The Questions

   1. How do you define happiness?

Happiness is peace of mind.  It cannot be defined by what you have, what you do, how much money you make, or  where you live. While those things change and vary, peace of mind, and knowing your life has meaning to the people whose lives you touch is what i define as being happy.
   2. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your happiness now, versus when you were a child?

This is difficult to do. I believe that finding peace of mind throughout my life is still ongoing. Sometimes i am in a place of great peace, and at other times seeking peace once again. I am a work in progress, and i think that the goal is not to 'feel' perfectly 'happy' all the time- but to know that happiness has highs and lows. Sometimes we pass through the valley to get to the mountain.
   3. What do you do on a daily basis that brings you happiness? (and how consistent is the feeling of happiness throughout your day)

I pray.
   4. What things take away from your happiness? What can be done to lessen their impact or remove them from your life?

I think that allowing work to be on my mind all the time is destructive. last year on a trip to china for my job i was very ill and ended up in a Chinese hospital on an IV. That experience stopped me in my tracks, and i kept asking myself why was i all alone on the other side of the world doing a job that was increasingly stress producing.Luckily i now have the opportunity to seek work  that fits the style of life I want, with hours that allow me to be a mother , wife , and friend again.
   5. What do you plan on doing in the future that will bring you even more happiness?

Follow my heart and do what I really love doing, which is design, and take the time to have fun with my family and friends.

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