United By Pop received a free copy of Happiness Is… 200 Ways to be Creative in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are our own.
Title: Happiness Is… 200 Ways to be Creative
Authors: Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar
Purchase: Available in the UK and the US
Overall rating: 4/5
Great for: Fans of inspirational reads and self-help guides in alternative formats
Themes: Non-fiction, picture book, self-help, sequential art
Review: We all need a little pick-me-up from time to time. We all need that instant buzz from seeing something good. We all have looked for outside inspiration to inspire our inner waning one. ‘Happiness Is… 200 Ways to be Creative’ provides the answer to all three in one adorable, mint green, little bundle.
The idea behind the book is as simple as the art style – but is just as good! This book offers the reader a smile-per-page as the doodle style art and accompanying text depicts an individual idea on how to achieve exactly as the title suggests: happiness. This offers 200 easily obtainable ways to accentuate the creativity in your daily life, often with the minimum of fuss and resources.
This is like a log of the creative person’s ultimate bucket list, full of easily achievable goals and ideas. From more abstract suggestions, such as ‘getting some perspective’, to more concrete imagery, such as staging an ‘out-of-season picnic’, there is an inspiration to be found here for every reader. Much of the book’s content is for individual interpretation, so there is no telling of the places it will take you!
This is perfect for the times when you can find your mental focus and well-being floundering. By altering the routine in which you live your life and taking the time to explore a new perspective you may regain some mental peace, whilst also navigating new, creative ways to solve a problem and distracting yourself from the menial or the chaotic of the everyday.
Its simple style means you can read the entire thing in one-sitting, or flick to any random page for an on-the-spot idea. It also provides the minimum of distractions, whilst maintaining a sunny sense of elegant happiness throughout. This book manages to be profound, whilst only using the minimum of resources to do so.
Whether you are an individual looking to heighten your own creativity or looking for the perfect gift for a loved one, I encourage everyone to pick up this book. It may be small but the joy it provides belies its size! A much-needed tool in any creative person’s work-belt.
Other books by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar include but are not confined to ‘Happiness Is… 500 Things to be Happy About‘, ‘Friendship Is . . . 500 Reasons to Appreciate Friends‘, and ‘If Our Love Were a Book – This Is How It Would Look‘.
