University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

A sense of joy

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A sense of joy

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A SENSE OF JOY

by

Yana Liu

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSKI SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(DESIGN)

December 2022

Copyright 2022 Yana Liu

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures………..………………………………………………………………………...…iii

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...iv

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………...……...1

Chapter 1: Chasing Joy……….………………………...……………….………………….….….3

Chapter 2: Defining Joy…………………………………..……….………………………………4

Chapter 3: Self-identity ……………………………………….……………….………………….8

Chapter 4: Identity Through the Many Facets of Popular Culture……………..…….………….10

Chapter 5: My Journey to Seek Joy.……………………………………………….…………….13

Chapter 6: Memories from Childhood Joy (Project 1)....………………….………….…………14

Chapter 7: Finding Joy (Project 2)………………………………………………..…….……......28

Chapter 8: #AdoptADigtalWolf (Project 3)………………………………………….……….….36

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….....................43

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..45

iii
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Ultraman. ....................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 2. Grandfather's Finger Flashlight. .................................................................................... 15
Figure 3. Grandfather's Finger Flashlight. .................................................................................... 16
Figure 4. Unconsciously. .............................................................................................................. 17
Figure 5. Unconsciously. .............................................................................................................. 20
Figure 6. Memories from Childhood Joy. ..................................................................................... 21
Figure 7. Memories from Childhood Joy. ..................................................................................... 22
Figure 8. Memories from Childhood Joy ...................................................................................... 23
Figure 9. Color with Emotions...................................................................................................... 25
Figure 10. Joy of Life 1905 ........................................................................................................... 26
Figure 11 The Number Mountain ................................................................................................. 30
Figure 12. Finding Joy, Tangram Illustration ............................................................................... 32
Figure 13. Finding Joy. ................................................................................................................. 33
Figure 14. Finding Joy. ................................................................................................................. 34
Figure 15. Finding Joy. ................................................................................................................. 34
Figure 16. Finding Joy. ................................................................................................................. 35
Figure 17. Adding My Wallet ....................................................................................................... 40
Figure 18. Adopt a Digital Wolf ................................................................................................... 42

iv
Abstract

Joy has become a luxurious good. People have an increasing demand for joy and are
constantly searching for it. Simply put, joy can be anything that happens to make one feel good.
Since the measurement of feeling is difficult, the definition of joy varies for all individuals.
Children have a simpler version of joy than adults; hence it appears easier for children to
experience it. As adults, we question ourselves, trying to figure out the goal of life; we are not
satisfied with the work we completed in the past; we are not confident about our work in the
future. To this end, as attested by personal experience, a solution to the end of dissatisfaction is
to work harder to achieve a better result. As an example, I try my best to experience joy in life
and to be a positive energy source.
As a designer, I want to discuss the importance of joy and my journey to finding joy by
exploring my childhood memories. I recall that in my childhood, something small could bring
much joy. Designing graphics, websites, posters and creating illustrations has also brought me a
great deal of joy. Joy means fun in the purest form and is integral to any child’s life experiences.
Artists produce creations based on their emotions and communicate their feelings to the audience
through their work. For me, painting can convey joy when using a light color, such as washed
yellow tone, which creates a nostalgic feeling of the past. Stories in the pictures can send off
positive energy. This thesis examines joy from different perspectives, including my own as an
adult, examining the joy I experienced making art as a child

1
Introduction

As a designer and artist, my mission is to bring joy to the audience through my work. Joy
is a vague concept, yet we all chase it. The opposite of joy is a wide range of negative emotions,
such as sadness, anger, and frustration. These negative emotions have been amplified in the past
two years by the worldwide pandemic, during which people’s lifestyles changed tremendously.
Since COVID-19, there have been fewer activities people can participate in and fewer social
gatherings. Empty cities and streets add a sense of loneliness. Worse, inflation and other
economic problems cause stress and anxiety across the world. While numerous people suffered
physical issues caused by COVID-19, mental health problems became prevalent. According to a
meta-analysis of searched in the Science Direct, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science (ISI)
and Google Scholar databases, “the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression, as a result of
the pandemic in the general population, are 29.6, 31.9 and 33.7% respectively.”
1
There are many
methods to “push out anxiety and fear by cultivating happiness; specifically, through
“connection, taking notice, being active, learning, giving, and being grateful.”
2
Fortunately, as
the years progressed, people found ways to climb out of a general feeling of depression and
anxiety, some changed their lifestyles by enjoying outdoor sports more; some started a new
hobby such as cooking and crafting; many got used to virtual meetings and greetings. From
people’s behaviors, it becomes apparent that people are looking for joy and happiness.

1
Nader Salari et al., “Prevalence of Stress, Anxiety, Depression among the General Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic:
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” BioMed Central (BioMed Central, July 6, 2020),
https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-020-00589-w#citeas.
2
Kelly Ethridge, “Push out Anxiety and Fear by Cultivating Happiness,” Nebraska Methodist Health System, October 8, 2020,
https://bestcare.org/news/20201008/push-out-anxiety-and-fear-cultivating-happiness.

2
Personally, I reflect on why I feel depressed and stressed. I gradually realized that as an
adult, there is much distraction and burden in adult life. And as a result, it is difficult for adults to
feel truly joyous. In cases when pure joy occurs, it is usually tied to a goal that has been
achieved. However, I recall when I was little, joy was in its purest form. In my childhood
experience, joy was easy to find and was of no scarcity. When I look back at the old photos of
my childhood, these are the moments that were preserved by those photographing me. Even the
washed-out colors of the photographs give me a sense of happiness and joy since the activities in
the photos were associated with joy.
Children are the experts at finding joy. By thinking about each individual’s identity vis-a-
vis joy, we can all realize an inestimable benefit. It is because of this that my design practice
focuses on the joy we receive from real life. Design allows me to use different forms, shapes, and
colors to tell stories of joy. Color can be important to one’s mood and can affect emotion, thus,
choosing the correct colors in design can bring joy to individuals. As an artist, I always seek joy
and try to be a positive energy source. Hence my projects include experiences of joy from
memories and the journey of finding joy during present days. To achieve joyful experiences in
different ways should be a goal for all of us, and my projects demonstrate some of the many
possible means to achieve this goal.

3
Chapter 1: Chasing Joy

I have a plethora of personality characteristics that include optimism, playfulness, and a
desire to enjoy life. For me, these personality traits were founded in my childhood. As I continue
to age, I tend to miss my childhood and my experiences of joy and fun. I believe that my
experience with making art is interconnected with my childhood experiences and associated
feelings of joy. Understanding who I am and what I am interested in is always a big question for
me. The simple answer to this is that I have enjoyed my childhood experience. I continue to
chase this joy. Looking back at my creative process, most of my artwork is related to my
childhood memories. It reflects the ideas of joy and identity that I built during this time. Artifacts
that relate to my self-identity through my childhood experiences.

4
Chapter 2: Defining Joy

Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness in the Oxford dictionary: it can
be experienced in a myriad of ways and is unique to the individual. For instance, for adults, joy
may constitute wedding day bliss, job promotion, or buying the first house. For a child, it might
be related to the happiness of getting a new toy, being praised by teachers, or having a good day
at school. For older individuals, it might be related to the happiness of spending time together as
a family. “It comes to us in moments—often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the
bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down extraordinary moments. Other times we’re so
afraid of the dark that we don’t dare let ourselves enjoy the light. A joyful life is not a floodlight
of joy.”
3
Joy is a highly desirable human experience. It is a common belief that children are the
greatest experts on the acquisition of joy. Children are experts on joy, this is primarily because
parents strive to ensure that childhood is a happy time. Parents put much more effort into
achieving goals like raising children to be happy. At the same time, parents also feel happy when
their children have a joyful time.
There are two kinds of happiness – relative happiness and absolute happiness.
4
Relative
happiness provides “instant gratification,” but it is “a dependent form of happiness; it depends
largely on things outside yourself.”
5
Absolute happiness is “the kind of happiness that isn’t
dependent on others, objects, or things. It doesn’t fade with time. It isn’t discarded after the
batteries run out. It comes from a deeper sense of purpose, pride, identity, and satisfaction with

3
Brown Brené, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (Center
City, MN: Hazelden Publishing, 2022).
4
Sean Grover, “How Parents Can Make Their Kids Experts in Happiness,” Psychology Today (Sussex Publishers, 2016),
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-kids-call-the-shots/201609/how-parents-can-make-their-kids-experts-in-
happiness.
5
Ibid.

5
oneself”.
6
For children, since their identity is not yet fully developed, the world is less
complicated. They can find joy in the world around them, and they are straightforward in their
emotions. They cry when they are sad, and they laugh hard when they have joy around them. As
adults, when we feel sad, we still cry. But after crying, adults have to pick themselves up and
face the challenges and difficulties that caused the tears. Adults still try hard to find joy and
happiness, but they sometimes forget the process of searching for joy is joy itself.
However, as children grow to be adults, their identity will also have been developed or is
in the process of being developed. Therefore, the search for relative happiness gradually turns
into the search for absolute happiness. Psychologically speaking, joy is a positive emotion. It
positively influences one’s mental health, which in turn has a beneficial impact on one’s physical
health. There are many instances of the influence of joy on a healthy mind and body. Stress and
anxiety bring people unhealthy physical and mental issues. Being in an unhealthy environment
can affect one’s physical health. When under stress, one’s body will react to protect one’s health.
Your body will fight with stress. At this time, your heart rate increases, breathing quickens,
blood pressure rises. This brings anxiety. “Stress and anxiety can lead to eating disorders.” Both
overeating and not eating are eating disorders and eating disorders are unhealthy conditions. “To
miss the joy is to miss all.”
7
When you feel joyful, you are more positive, and it is easier to
appreciate all that is happening around you.
Another way to define joy is to look at the opposite of joy. Emotional symptoms of stress
include “becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody; feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing
control or need to take control, having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind, feeling bad about

6
Ibid.
7
Robert Louis Stevenson, Across the Plains (New York, NY: Nottingham Society, 1982).

6
yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed, and avoiding others.”
8
Physical
symptoms of stress include: “low energy, headaches, upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation,
and nausea. Aches, pains, and tense muscles, chest pain and rapid heartbeat, insomnia, frequent colds
and infections, loss of sexual desire and/or ability, nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ear, cold
or sweaty hands and feet, dry mouth, and difficulty swallowing, clenched jaw and grinding teeth.”
9

Joy does not bring any of these kinds of symptoms emotionally or physically. Reducing stress is
another way to help chase joy. Nowadays, people want more and more to improve themselves, to
achieve their own life goals. Achieving a goal always causes stress. Therefore, having joy
becomes essential. People often choose to reduce stress by making something, taking risks, and
doing sports. In our generation, more and more people have mental health illnesses. The research
shows that “Mental illnesses are common in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live
with a mental illness (52.9 million in 2020)”.
10

I conducted a few interviews with people whom I know to find out how people reduce
their stress. The result of my interviews showed that most people use their smartphones, sport, or
have pets to help relax. The first participant said he likes to relax by watching videos. He usually
watches funny video games made by creators and random storytelling with illustrations. He also
watches documentaries and is interested in philosophy. Documentaries. He thinks many people
like to meditate too. However, for him, it is never quite worked. He prefers to relax by having a
good laugh. Participant 2 said she would like to spend her time alone and preferred doing things
alone. Smartphones occupied her alone time. She likes to check out old photos and recall happy
moments in her past. She also enjoys trying different sports. Participant 3 decided to have a dog

8
Hedy Marks, “Stress Symptoms: Physical Effects of Stress on the Body,” WebMD (WebMD, 2021),
https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-symptoms-effects_of-stress-on-the-body.
9
Ibid.
10
National Institute of Mental Health. 2022. “Mental Illness.” Www.nimh.nih.gov. National Institute of Mental Health. January
2022. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.

7
to help her relax because of the difficult time she had dealing with. After getting a dog, she was
occupied. Being busy helped her to forget about stress. Participant 4 said she tries to create a
relaxed atmosphere, sometimes she went out to a picnic with others. If she stays at home alone,
she enjoyed looking at her smartphone to see nice pictures and memories. Participant 5 said she
enjoys online gaming to help her relax. I concluded from my brief interviews that joy could
come through relaxation; consequently, having good mental health could also make it easier to
find joy.
Ingrid Fetell Lee is a designer and author based in Brooklyn. Her work is grounded in “an
aesthetics of joy.” Lee’s work is mostly using vivid colors to represent objects we use every day.
She tries to build a relationship with both the environment and our emotions. By seeing the
environment around us to help our having a better feeling emotion. It helps clients create joy
from her design. Lee states: “Before I began to research joy, I saw it as this intangible, ephemeral
thing that just sort of floats past us, and we have to catch as it drifts by.”
11
According to Lee, the
power of having joy is unmeasurable, and it brings extraordinary happiness. In my
understanding, using nature in design gives people a sense of calm and relaxation.

11
Ingrid Fetell Lee, “The Aesthetics of Joy,” The Aesthetics of Joy by Ingrid Fetell Lee, February 21, 2022,
https://aestheticsofjoy.com/.

8
Chapter 3: Self-Identity

For many people, identity is a concept that is closely related to gender, sexuality,
nationality, ethnicity, and culture. The Oxford dictionary definition of identity describes it as the
recognition of one’s potential and qualities as an individual, especially in social contexts.
12
This
can be interchangeable with self-concept. This is how we perceive our behaviors, abilities, and
unique characteristics.
13
Every individual in this world is unique with their own distinct set of
characteristics and personality disposition. People try to establish an identity in their daily lives,
their personality and who they are in social life, or how successful they are based on what they
can achieve. People’s identity starts to develop at an early age and flourish as life progresses.
Early childhood experiences are the most important time to initiate the development of identity.
When I ponder what my identity is, I tend to relate it to my personality. Children start seeing
their identity when they are around others. When they start having friends and in the classroom.
The relationship through play and friends is one way to build children’s identity; parents will
also learn about their child during the relationship through play and peers. The way their children
play with others and how they express their happiness and sadness. It is also developed
children’s language and physical behaviors.
14
This is the natural way to let children reveal
themselves in the first years. Research shows that there is a difference between social identity
and personal identity. Personal identity means children’s feelings about differences between
themselves and others. The social identity means they want to be the same as others. For
example, if one child starts learning an instrument, which affects children. They want to be the

12
Oxford Languages. 2014. “Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries. 2014. https://languages.oup.com/.
13
Bailey Joseph, “Self-Image, Self-Concept, and Self-Identity Revisited,” Journal of the National Medical Association (U.S.
National Library of Medicine, 2003), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12793794/.
14
“The Development of Identity in Children.” 2021. College of the Canyons. January 4, 2021.
https://socialsci.libretexts.org/@go/page/42547.

9
same as their friends.
15
Especially if one child has a new toy, other kids will also want the same
toy.

15
Ibid.

10
Chapter 4: Identity through the Many Facets of Popular Culture

Popular culture creates a sense of shared identity for people. Japanese manga is a great
example of this. Manga creates a sense of shared identity for people from different countries,
races, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Popular culture brings people together regardless of one’s
traits. People enjoy talking about popular culture. In many ways the impact of popular culture
builds relationships between people who also have the same in common. It is easier to make
more friends if people have more chances to interact with others. Compared with adults, things
related to children are easier to fill with happiness and joy. This is harder for adults and is
usually associated with experiences or specific events that spark feelings of joy. Finding joy for
adults can be going out with friends, buying pretty flowers, or receiving a postcard from friends.
Popular culture has a wide impact on global society. People talk about one common subject
across the world. Online chatting is also becoming one way that gives people a chance to make
friends. Sometimes, we might not find someone in common in real life, but when we browse on
the internet and express ourselves more, we are not worried as much as in real life.
In the past, I unconsciously feminized every cartoon body to reflect my identity and my
sense of self. Figures from my memories are distorted. As a result, this part of the artwork is
typically faceless or absent from the original. Although the characters from my memories are
faceless, they are still recognizable. They bring me back to the pop culture references embedded
in my memory that stem back to my childhood experience. Hence, each time I commence a new
piece of artwork, my childhood experience plays a big part in its creation. Through my art, I
invite viewers to ask themselves about the relationship between their own identity and their
childhood memories.

11
Children’s books are ultimately designed by adults. Each artist brings their point of view
and inner child into their work. They tell stories with their artistic styles. Each character has a
distinct style and identity. This provides children with a strong impression of each character and
their underlying personality. At this point in my research, I started thinking about the eyes of
children through memories and the impact of anime culture on the development of youth’s self-
identity.
In terms of gender, “an individual’s gains or losses in gender identity lead to increases or
decreases in the level of happiness.”
16
In French, everything has its gender. Some objects are
male; some are female in French grammar. Sometimes, people get confused by which words are
male or female. I did a test to guess different words gender. I tried to guess each word given by
friends. Most of my answers were incorrect. I try to find if there any rules for this, and then I
started to think that there were no rules or order. I understand cartoon character gender
differently sometimes. For example, Ultraman, obviously it is a male actor, but when Ultraman
uses powers, my mind gives me the sense that Ultraman (Figure 1) is a female.

16
Wen-Chun Chang, “Identity, Gender, and Subjective Well-Being,” Review of Social Economy 69, no. 1 (2011): pp. 97-121,
https://doi.org/10.1080/00346760902756495.
Figure 1. Ultraman.

12
In many families, most children spend their childhood time with their mothers. The mother
figure is often heroic. In my own experiences, I felt my mother always knew everything and
guided me in a good direction. Every time I struggle or am sad, the comfort from my mother is
best to make me relax. This is perhaps the starting point that explains why I see cartoon
characters as female. It was the starting point of me questioning identity through the many faces
of popular culture. Artifacts that relate to my self-identity through my childhood experiences
with anime and manga. Today, anime has gone beyond illustration and rooted its styles, color
choices, concept-building, and character design into many major contemporary artists across the
world. Love of anime or even the adaption of an Otaku identity no longer equalizes shame and
stigma. Otaku means a person having an intense or obsessive interest especially in the fields
of anime and manga.
17
More artists now publicly admit their favor of anime and anime
characters while blending new concept into their art.

17
“Definition of OTAKU.” N.d. Www.merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/otaku.

13
Chapter 5: My Journey to Seek Joy

Personally, it has not always been an easy search for joy. There are always conflicting
sides of the same thing, and I constantly found myself searching for more until, COVID-19. I
started to cherish small things in life, and it brought back many childhood memories when joy
was simple and pure. My memory of the most joyous moment spans back to my kindergarten
years. During this time, I attended a full boarding school that only allowed us to visit home on
weekends. Each Friday afternoon was the most joyous time for me because I looked forward to
seeing my family. My sister and I would impatiently sit in the classroom, waiting for the end-of-
day school bell to ring and for our parents to pick us up. I was an introverted child through
primary school and middle school. Due to this, it was a difficult feat for me to make friends. My
first friend was in primary school when I was 11 years old.

14
Chapter 6: Memories from Childhood Joy (Project 1)

The most joyful experiences of my life are related to my childhood. As we age, this joy
becomes increasingly difficult to experience. Unfortunately, life events, whether positive or
negative, can be out of our control. This rollercoaster life experience can be emotionally and
mentally draining and can cause us to forget the little things in life that bring us joy. We tend to
de-identify and lose our sense of self in the rat race of life. Consequently, we place more and
more stress upon ourselves.
As an adult, I am always thinking about everything I see. The childhood experience is
very important to me, as I believe it is to everyone. This is considered to be the time that we
build our personalities that affects our future behaviors. Research has shown that the childhood
experience can impact our health as an adult. For instance, it has been demonstrated that children
who experience several adverse childhood events are at an increased risk of developing
depression, anxiety, substance abuse habits, and detrimental health behaviors in adulthood.
18
My
personal childhood experience was full of joy, and this had a huge impact on building my
identity as an adult.
I created several groups of paintings and sculptures that were based on my childhood
memories. For example, Grandfather’s finger flashlight (figure 2) (figure 3) is a series about

18
Mariette J. Chartier, John R. Walker, and Barbara Naimark, “Separate and Cumulative Effects of Adverse Childhood
Experiences in Predicting Adult Health and Health Care Utilization,” Child Abuse & Neglect 34, no. 6 (2010): pp. 454-464,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.09.020.

15
childhood memories. This work is based on photos that my grandfather took of my siblings and
me during my childhood.
Figure 2. Grandfather's Finger Flashlight.

16

Figure 3. Grandfather's Finger Flashlight.

Conveying a sense of memory through blurred forms, I paint the feelings I get from
remembering the moments captured in these photos. Another example of the impact that my
childhood had on my art is seen through the impact of popular culture on my work. I see pop
culture characters in different ways. In Unconsciously (Figure 4) I constructed a life-size book
that included favorite characters that I grew up with. However, these are adjusted in my artwork
to comply with my sense of self and identity. I unconsciously feminized every cartoon
character’s body to reflect my personal identity. The Mickey Mouse that I see is a female with a
big head. As I previously mentioned, cartoon figures are distorted in my memory. This leads to
blanks in my memory where the character’s faces should be. Although the characters from my

17
memories are faceless, they are still recognizable. For instance, in my artwork, I did not include
Sailor Moon’s face; however, her familiar and identifiable hair is still present. This is associated
with my memories of Sailor Moon that are based on her hair and her colorful signature clothes.

Figure 4. Unconsciously.

Postcards were very popular in the past and throughout my childhood. My goal is using
these cards to give the sense that I am transferring my memories to the audience and to share the
joy I experienced in my childhood with others. By design, a postcard is a way of sending a

18
message to the recipient. I use color and design to create and enhance the message about joy I am
trying to deliver. In my memories, postcards are also associated with sending love and joy to the
recipient. I remember people sending postcards to their loved ones when they went overseas to
keep in contact and to share their joy and fun experiences. One side of the card was designed
with a beautiful photo of the place they went. On the other side of the postcard, there was a blank
space to let people share messages.
As a designer, I love to create colorful designs that can bring some visual joy to people.
In my design study, my childhood experiences affected me more substantially than I thought
when I worked on a project. Things I learned from childhood seem to build a foundation for my
visual aesthetic. In everyday life, when I see something that exists in our daily life, it always
wakes my memories up. Sitting at the playground to watch kids play and laugh always calms me
after a day of stress. When I hear that laugh, it brings me back to my memories of my childhood.
When people see each other for the first time, having a conversation to introduce themselves is
very important. Sometimes, talking about some childhood memories is always a good topic to
bring them closer and feel related to each other. I remember when I was young, sending
postcards was very popular. We sent postcards to family and friends every time we traveled. The
main reason for sending the postcards is that we wanted to share travel experiences with others.
We want to share memories. This has led me to create a group of postcards with childhood
memory illustrations. People tell stories in many ways. Some people like talking, some like
taking videos to record memories, some like writing a diary, and some like capturing a moment
with a camera. Sometimes, sharing with others can be very personal. I am an introverted person.
I wish I could talk with others more and share my stories. I am always timid to talk. I like sharing
my stories and wish people could get to know me better Sending postcards inspires me—sharing

19
my memories in abstract illustrations Allows people to share my emotions and, therefore, to
know me in a deeper way. Having good communication in real life is very important. Good
communication can be anything that effectively resonates with people’s thoughts. My design
idea is that an object I see reminds me of a specific moment in childhood time. This idea has led
me to create drawings about my thoughts and memories and send them to people who might
have similar experiences and memories and send them to people who might have similar
experiences to me.
The history of postcards spans back from the 17th to19th century. Early on, there were
already delicate designs on the card with illustrations. Typically, messages were not included for
fear of lack of privacy. In the 1880s, instead of just simply color on postcards, color also started
to be used in postcards. Famous monuments were also stated to be included in postcard
illustrations. Later in the 1890s photography started being used. An article in the Standard (a
popular British newspaper) from August 21, 1899, read: “The illustrated postcard craze, like
influenza, has spread to these islands from the Continent, where it has been raging with
considerable severity.”
19
During this era, postcards became increasingly popular in delivering
messages. Today, technology makes it easy to deliver messages instantaneously. As a result,
people tend to send postcards less often. While people may still write cards for special occasions,
such as birthdays or Christmas, using a smartphone to send messages is a more convenient and
easier way to send messages. However, when I receive a physical card from my family or
friends, it gives me so much joy.
Therefore, my project is based on memories in postcards. I aim to share with the audience
my childhood joy and the joy I experienced from sending and receiving postcards. In this design,

19
“History of the Postcard,” World Postcard Day, accessed February 1, 2022, https://worldpostcardday.com/history.

20
there are 19 cards. Each postcard is a standard size 4 x 6 inches. All the cards have illustration
that based on simplified versions of my memories from my childhood that have given me joyful
experiences. By using the line and the simple shape of the object.

Figure 5. Unconsciously.

The above pictured postcard (Figure 5) includes Rubik’s cube with four colors in it –
green, red, yellow, and black. The shape of the Rubik’s cube is illustrated with black lines only. I
chose to use high contrast to show the object, there are only four squares with color, two of the
squares are colored yellow and two of the squares are colored red. The black triangles show the
twist of the Rubik’s cube. This postcard has two sides; the front side is an illustration, and the
backside is a regular postcard with the text line and stamp space. This design hopes to resonate
shareable memories with the audience. The audience may have different reflection when seeing
the Rubik’s cube, but there is usually a story associated with it. When the audience looks at the
card, the simple elements can generate different thoughts and feelings from the audience.

21

Figure 6. Memories from Childhood Joy.

The background of this postcard (Figure 6) is in a warm and yellow-toned color. This is
to indicate that the memories of young childhood time can be a blur. This postcard only has three
colors, red, yellow, and black, and it uses bright yellow lines to draw the entire bike structure.
The typography on the backside of the postcard says, “Please Stamp Here”. The postcard can
convey people’s emotion through the concept of sending and receiving. People who are sending
the postcard to people who are receiving are not just a physical action. When people see the bike,
they can relate to childhood memories such as riding a bike with their family. In my experience,

22
it is usually a joyful because spending time with family gives me a lot of fun memories.

Figure 7. Memories from Childhood Joy.
This design is based on a game called Gobang. I use red, yellow, and green as the main
colors to represent my memories of Gobang. Same as the other postcards, the shape of the
structure was use is designed with a simple black line. The choice of background represents
memories which are blurred and mysterious. I might not remember the story that happened
While I was playing, but the object itself tells me how much joy I had at a young age by playing
Gobang. In this design, three of the triangles are empty, there is nothing inside except for colors.
The reason that I leave the space empty is so the audience has some space to also imagine their
own story with this project.

23

Figure 8. Memories from Childhood Joy

The above image set shows five postcard designs. On the very left, it shows a tent with
bright yellow. For the dark part I chose to use the same color tone but a bit darker. It helps to
show it is an open space. The background is a dark brown, which gives a sense of it is a night.
The postcard next to it is an outside game that is always in a playground. Children can stand on
it, and one of them can turn it around. The color I choose is like the tent. I used green to draw the

24
hand handle so that it feels like a natural space. The top postcard is the shape of a slide in a
children’s playground. By using the negative space to create a memory between me and the
object. The reason why I use green so much is that in my memories, going outside and playing at
the playground was always in spring and summer. The weather is warm, and nature is green. The
car shape is a ride at an amusement park. It is a bumper car. Using a yellow outline to create a
structure that I remember. The background color is a washed blue. Postcard on the right in figure
8 is a burger candy, the drawing uses the same color as the actual candy, and there is a burger
shape on the packaging.
Different people have different ways of remembering things, this can be in the form of
smell, color, shape, etc. When I try to recall past events, the first thing I remember is an object.
For example, when I look at my childhood photos, although I see myself playing in a
playground, the first memory that pops up is the object that I am playing with. The shape and the
color of these objects are clear in my mind, their memory spark feelings of joy and happiness
within me. I use the joy that I experienced by seeing photos of my childhood in this design
project, a group of postcard size designs with images of forms that I remember from my
childhood. The memories are represented on different color background. Each color is associated
with different meanings and memories. This may vary based on individual situations or cultural
factors. In the arts, there is the psychology of color. Color emotion guides show that red
represents action, energy, strength, love, passion, and adventure. Yellow represents joy, fun,

25
positivity, warmth, and happiness. Blue represents confidence, truth, success, security, and
power. Green represents nature, health, and harmony
20
. Everyone has different emotions by just
seeing one color. In the wise words of one of the most renowned artists, Pablo Picasso, “Colors,
like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” Different colors can be read and interpreted in
different ways. Pink was my favorite color when I was five years old. After I went to primary
school, pink ended up becoming my most disliked color. This shows the effect that the
environment has on your color preferences. “We often think about color in terms of hue; we
think about red versus blue versus yellow. But the color isn’t what matters; it’s how pure the
color is. In arts and design, the brighter the color, the more chroma that’s in the color, the more
associated it will be with joy. Darkness, or dimness, is generally associated with sadness. Those
are universal associations.”
21

20
“12 Color Meanings - the Power and Symbolism of Colors (Infographics),” Color Meanings, accessed February 1, 2022,
https://www.color-meanings.com/.
21
“Forget Happiness-Pursue Joy,” Goop, December 23, 2021, https://goop.com/wellness/mindfulness/forget-happiness-pursue-
joy/.
Figure 9. Color with Emotions.

26
Using color and line in a different way can create a different response that not only changes our
emotions but also deeply affects mental health. Like Johannes Itten said, “Color is life; for a
world without it appears to us as dead.” Color affects people’s moods: art is a great example to
show this. For example, amusement parks use bright colors to convey a sense of joy. Joy of life
1905 by Henri Matisse (Figure 10 ).

It is a large-scale painting with colorful paint. The elements in the painting also convey the joy
people in the painting feel. The whole landscape is filled with sky, forest, sea, and nude bodies.
By using yellow tone as the main background color, the painting brings a warm tone and joyful
emotion to viewers. The brush reflects how of how much joy the artist had while work on this
painting. Broad fields of color and linear figures show joy and freedom. By using curved lines
that give a sense of softness.
Childhood experiences matter to everyone, it directly affects people’s cognitive thinking
and behavior. People have different cognitive skills. As children grow older, their cognitive
processes become sharper, giving their value. Color is one example. Some people do not like red
Figure 10. Joy of Life 1905

27
because they experience something terrible in the color red during their childhood. A Korean TV
show talked about a girl afraid of red high heels because she was kidnapped by a woman wearing
red high heels at a younger age. Childhood experiences build most of the personality, but they
may also change when people experience different things growing up. Sharing stories from my
childhood is not just telling. It is also communicating. My role as a designer is trying to find joy
from my childhood experiences and sharing with others is my goal. When I work on each of my
postcard designs, it includes so much of my emotion and memories from my perspective. I want
to send all this positive energy to everyone who looks at it. I always wish people could have
positive energy in daily life and enjoy all the moment.

28
Chapter 7: Finding Joy (Project 2)

Visual words and images can be powerful in delivering messages to people. Graffiti is a
popular way to share thoughts and propaganda. In Los Angeles, where I live, there is graffiti
everywhere. Sometimes when I see certain words, the message reflects my mental and emotional
state at that moment. I saw graffiti saying, “YOU’RE OVERTHINKING AGAIN YOU GOT
THIS” in extensive writing on one of the old buildings in New York. It helped me to reduce the
stress I was feeling in that moment. I felt relaxed just after I saw these words. To me, Finding
Joy is another way to reduce stress. Stress can be any feeling that affects people’s emotions in a
negative way, such as loneliness, a busy schedule, a hard time finding friends, and feeling
unsuccessful. Especially introverted people don’t like to talk that much. The best way to relax is
to find joy by just seeing visual communication that helps introverted people reduce the
possibility of mental health illness. People rely on smartphones so much that they like to post
beautiful pictures and memories to share with their friends or the public. My project 2, finding
joy, is a similar idea that is just visually reading and communicating lets people resonate in some
way to reduce stress. It led me to create a group of posters with illustrations that show ways we
all can reduce stress.
During the current global pandemic, we have experienced a wide range of negative
emotions including anxiety, stress, and sadness. This pandemic has been a transformational event
for many people. there were some positive changes in my personal life. Among them was that I
started learning new things, and also changed my new year’s resolution. In the past decade, I
made new year’s resolutions that did not become true by the end of each year. I often questioned
and blamed myself for not working harder on certain goals or design ideas. This year, I decided
that my new year’s resolution is simply to have joy and enjoy life more. While it is challenging

29
to fix the mental distress that comes with COVID-19, I found simple solutions to joy. Joy to me
this year is eating good food, having fun with family and friends, reading a book, or enjoying a
day outside. Thinking back to pre-COVID life, I found joy was harder to chase because big
gatherings with friends on weekends were expected. When that didn’t happen, there was always
some level of sadness or disappointment that could lead to frustration or anger.
I designed a poster in which I record my mental health challenges during the current
pandemic and brainstorm potential solutions. Potential sources of joy in life including indulging
in pleasurable food, spending great time with family and friends, or simply enjoying a nice day
outside. A journey may also bring us joy. I enjoy looking at beautiful landscape that is full of
beautiful colors. I also find joy in variety of media such as television, films, and internet
websites. Big weekend social gatherings with friends were common before the pandemic.
Drinking rituals were limited to Friday and Saturday nights. However, the pandemic has changed
our lives in quite unexpected ways. Staying home for long periods of time may increase anxiety
and stress in some people. This design project is intended to promote my mental health by

30
adding moments of joy in my life. The simplified version of joy inspired my design of a journal
named “A Little Joy”. My hope is to share my journey of finding joy with other adult audiences
so that people can relax more and take more notice in everyday life. This project uses the
children’s book style this is because, in my perspective, the art in children’s book always bring
joy to the audience books. I love how the children’s book style of drawing, such as Basia Tran’s
work “the Number Mountain” on Figure 11.

“Technology for children’s book illustrations began with block books in the 15th century, “the
illustration was carved with the story”, creating a pathway for art in other technologies.”
22
There

22
“History and Future of Children's Book Illustrations,” History and Future of the Book, accessed February 1, 2022,
https://words.usask.ca/historyofthebook/2020/10/16/history-and-future-of-childrens-book-illustrations/.
Figure 11 The Number Mountain

31
are six core elements in a children’s book – story and language, structure, illustration,
storyboard, themes, and target audience.
23
In this book, I incorporated the three core elements by
using illustration. The goal is to engage the audience with illustration and create an atmosphere
with a sense of joy. Personally, I enjoy an illustration full of beautiful colors and graphics. This
illustration journal documents the journey of finding joy in life and is meant to engage with
others by sharing my own stories.
The second project on this subject that I designed , “Finding Joy,” I made 14 illustrations.
Each drawing includes an image of hands and an object. These 14 illustrations include a
tangram, toy blocks, pinwheels, plastic ducks in the colors yellow and pink, LEGOs, glass
marbles, Mahjong, sunflower seeds, Gameboy, dog, turtle, TV shows, plants, and flowers.

23
“Six Essential Elements of Children's Picture Books,” Luminare Press, January 27, 2021, https://www.luminarepress.com/six-
essential-elements-of-childrens-picture-books/.

32

In the tangram illustration (Figure 12), there is a finger holding one piece of the tangram.
The idea is to show the interaction between me and the object. I chose to use a warm-toned
backgrounds that brings softness and relaxation. In this tangram, the colors of each piece are eye-
catching. The contrast between each piece is high. I choose to use high contrast because
everything around the object itself is flat. I am also seeing this tangram from my memories
through a child’s eyes. Things in my childhood memories are colorful.
As a designer, my project's primary goal is to deliver messages that help people find a
way to relax or chase joy. Visual communication is one of the best ways to attract people's eyes
and focus on the messages I try to deliver. Visual thinking is a great way to communicate
effectively with people. When we were young, we started learning. We will not straight learn
from theory or challenging understanding knowledge; we start by seeing different things and
learning from easy things. Children start learning by playing and exploring. That is why all
Figure 12. Finding Joy, Tangram Illustration

33
children's products are colorful and playful. To me, just seeing the tone of words causes my
stress and anxiety. Reading can be joyful if we have enough time and a great environment to
support ourselves. Therefore, my idea of making posters is to effectively help people quickly
understand the messages I try to deliver. Rather than using a complex way to draw, I choose to
use a simply colorful way to express my idea. The drawing includes activities such as playing a
simple game after work, watering plants, and seeing how well it grows. The potential solution
these days is to reduce our stress and make it easy to relax.

Figure 13. Finding Joy.

34

Figure 14. Finding Joy.

Figure 15. Finding Joy.

35

Figure 16. Finding Joy.

36
Chapter 8: #AdoptADigtalWolf (Project 3)

It is not rare for an individual to occasionally experience an overwhelming feeling of
pleasure and happiness. After all, life would be a complete void and meaningless if such events
that give us hope, the desire to relive those moments, were never actualized. The existing
conceptualizations of joy draw from philosophical viewpoints, including the biblical or religious
account. However, a recent explanation drawing from the psychological domains reflects the
complexity of the concept responsible for the uncertainty around its definition. Nevertheless, the
definitions show exceptional level of consistency in referring to joy or enjoyment as an emotion
triggered by feelings of happiness, contentment, and harmony. Psychologists regard joy as a
critical construct that is fundamental to human wellbeing and existence.
24
For this reason, some
psychiatrists, such as George Valliant, insinuate that it is impossible to understand humans if we
cannot understand the concept of joy and how it comes about. On the contrary, many
psychologists ignore the concept, a laxity that contributes to elusive conceptual clarity about the
concept.
25

Manifesting Joy in Real Life
Joy may come from anywhere including nature and our pets. Pets make people happier
and inspire them to become more responsible. I did not obtain joy from animals before my
family got a puppy. I feared dogs when I was a child. That was because my neighbor had a big
dog that always barked at me. I could not bear walking by his house as it was very stressful.
When my family first introduced the puppy to me, I was hesitant. However, I was no longer

24
Masato, Kawabata, and Clifford J. Mallett, "Progressing the Construct of Enjoyment: Conceptualizing Enjoyment
as a Proactive Process," Discover Psychology 2, no. 1 (2021), 1.
25
Masato, Kawabata, and Clifford J. Mallett, "Progressing the Construct of Enjoyment.

37
scared when I touched his soft fur. This experience was also the first time that I was close to
animals. Dogs are intelligent animals, and they understand emotions. I got used to having a dog
around and the dog waiting to greet me when I came back home. My transition from fear to
positive emotions is helpful in distinguishing joy from other positive emotions. For instance, I
experienced the hedonistic positive emotion associated with fulfillment of one’s desires by
ridding myself of the fear of animals. On the other hand, progressive interactions with the puppy
led to emotions of eudaimonic quality, characterized as joy. These positive emotions are
associated with fulfillment or realizing one’s true nature as spouse in the functioning of their
ability.
26
Pets not only help people avoid loneliness, but also add happiness and joy to the lives
of their owners. On this account, the digital wolf program represents a logical way of examining
joy from the domains of nature and psychology.

Implications of Pets as Sources of Joy
During COVID-19, more people adopted pets than ever because pets can help reduce
stress and bring joy to them. In the 1980s, people found that pets could help heart attack patients
live longer.
27
Having a pet brings joy to patients and improves overall well-being. Pets are like
family to a pet owner. They spend time together, which makes people not feel lonely anymore.
The observations illustrate joy as a hedonistic concept that depicts simplistic attainment of
individual desires.
28
Being moody can affect a person’s blood pressure and cholesterol. For
example, if people get mad, their blood pressure assumes an upward trajectory. Pets help people
reduce anxiety. Also, people have more reasonability if they take care of pets. For example,

26
Ibid, 2
27
“Creature Comforts: 10 Ways Animals Could Help with Happiness and Health,” NC State Veterinary Medicine, March 20,
2017, https://cvm.ncsu.edu/10-ways-animals-help-with-happiness-and-health/.
28
Ibid, 1.

38
taking their pet out for walking every day. This practice reflects the eudaimonic attributes of joy.
Overall, how individuals react to possessing pets and the subsequent animal care practices are
effective sources of happiness, contentment, and harmony.

Actualizing Joy through Digital Animal Adoption Programs
Given the strong association between possessing pets and joy, my UI/UX project seeks to
add a digital adoption choice to the Wolf Connection website. The goal is to promote the
eudaimonic aspect of the concept that allows individuals to fulfill their potential by exploiting
their abilities. In order to execute this program effectively and efficiently, I went on a field trip to
be close to wolves and this inspired my design project. The project is a product of personal and
emotional experience from fear to joy, and from stress to relaxation. The organization, Wolf
Connection, which I visited, is a wild animal sanctuary that takes care of wolves. The
organization encourages people to build relationships with wolves. It also conducts research on
finding each wolf’s personality and identity. The wolves live in cages and are paired by a
matchmaking system; each wolf has a name and a potential partner that shares the same cage.
Thus, these observations suggest an adopter can experience joy by following up on the adopted
wolves to ascertain their progress.
Many people experience joy from the fulfillment they get after accomplishing a specific
task. My project is inspired by the desire to support the organization and the wolves. It is a group
project with the idea of helping Wolf Connection to collect donations in a non-traditional way.
Along with my partner on this project, I created digital illustrations of each wolf at the sanctuary.
The illustrations were designed to give each wolf a distinctive personality and to feature their
personalities' distinctive parts. Compared with adults, things related to children are easier to fill

39
with happiness and joy. When we first examined the existing Wolf Connection website the
“DONATE” page at Wolf Connection's website only showed a select donation amount along
with a text message that explained they need people’s help. In my opinion there was a better way
to get people’s support. Therefore, we created a new idea called #AdoptADigtalWolf.
This idea is designed to build a personal bond with a member of the wolf pack by
purchasing a digital drawing of a wolf. Many people care about the wolves but cannot visit Wolf
Connection in person because of distance and their busy life schedule. Our proposal to expand
the ways people can donate and participate in helping wolves creates a new program that uses
digital illustrations of wolves to provide another unique way to participate in wolves' lives.
Every wolf has unique digital photos and 100% of each person’s payment will be donated to
support the wolf’s life, safety, growth, prosperity, and happiness of animals, youth, and the
community. On the website, we added My Wallet on the top bar (Figure 17), and added a choice
called Adopt a Digital Wolf (Figure 18) on Donate. On the adopt digital wolf page, we list
reasons why a person would want to adopt a digital wolf. The page also includes a digital
illustration of each wolf with its name (Figure 19)(Figure 20). Users can now click on the wolf of
their choice and donate. We drew all the wolves and use our illustrations on this page as their
portrait and name. Users can click each wolf and choose the amount they would like to donate.
Overall, the project offers individuals an experience of joy by contributing their resources to the
well-being of nature by helping and drawing on the intricate association between possessing pets

40
and happiness.

Figure 17. Adding My Wallet

41

42

Figure 18. Adopt a Digital Wolf

The #AdoptADigtalWolf is for individuals who seek joy from pets yet cannot commit to
nurturing some animals on their own yet can still attain positive emotional fulfillment through
digital platforms. Overall, the project offers individuals an experience of joy by contributing
their resources to the well-being of nature by helping and drawing on the intricate association
between possessing pets and happiness. Possessing a pet is likely to provide an individual with
both hedonistic and eudaimonic positive emotions. This project seeks to bridge the gap in
experiencing joy by offering people different means of fulfilling their desires, potential, and
ability, leading to emotions of happiness, contentment, and harmony that typify joy.

43
Conclusion
My work explores childhood memories and the joy I experienced as a child. Memories of
family, toys, favorite characters, and memorable moments inspire me to find joy as an adult and
create the same moments of discovery for others. Joy has proven to be an essential emotion for
health and difficulty coping in today's complex world. My design work and research reference
the joy we feel as children and point out the importance of happiness to our lives. As a designer,
I like to share the importance of joy and my journey to finding joy by thinking about childhood
memories. Creating a relaxing atmosphere to find joy is not easy for everyone: We always try to
achieve goals, and stress always comes with it. Better mental health is getting more important
these days, from sharing experiences with others to reducing stress to create. I would like to
work on the mobile app direction that allows people to find some way to relax and provides easy
access to finding joy in daily life.
In general, Joy denotes different meanings to different people. Some people find joy in
music, some people find joy in games, and some people find joy in laughter. To me, memories
always comprise a part of the joy I can be attached to. As we age, this joy becomes increasingly
difficult to experience, yet just as crucial as finding joy helps reduce stress and anxiety. My
design practice serves as a means for creating joy for others by creating access, ease, or finding a
way to share. Design is always helps people to achieve better results. Thus, design is intended to
solve problems, but I also think of design as a type of art with aesthetic elements. As the design
communicates with and arouses emotions in the audience, people receive emotional messages
from both the artists and the designers. Moreover, my design practice and the projects I have
invested in have given me a sense of joy.

44
Reflecting on Joy taught me to address problems and create a solution. For instance, I
tried to find joy in nature during the pandemic. I built connections with animals I never thought I
would get close to. As a result of this experience, seeking joy has become my priority. As a
result, I have tried to pursue entirely new experiences and create joy from doing these things.

45

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Abstract (if available)

Abstract Joy has become a luxurious good. People have an increasing demand for joy and are constantly searching for it. Simply put, joy can be anything that happens to make one feel good. Since the measurement of feeling is difficult, the definition of joy varies for all individuals. Children have a simpler version of joy than adults; hence it appears easier for children to experience it. As adults, we question ourselves, trying to figure out the goal of life; we are not satisfied with the work we completed in the past; we are not confident about our work in the future. To this end, as attested by personal experience, a solution to the end of dissatisfaction is to work harder to achieve a better result. As an example, I try my best to experience joy in life and to be a positive energy source.
As a designer, I want to discuss the importance of joy and my journey to finding joy by exploring my childhood memories. I recall that in my childhood, something small could bring much joy. Designing graphics, websites, posters and creating illustrations has also brought me a great deal of joy. Joy means fun in the purest form and is integral to any child’s life experiences. Artists produce creations based on their emotions and communicate their feelings to the audience through their work. For me, painting can convey joy when using a light color, such as washed yellow tone, which creates a nostalgic feeling of the past. Stories in the pictures can send off positive energy. This thesis examines joy from different perspectives, including my own as an adult, examining the joy I experienced making art as a child.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Liu, Yana (author)

Core Title A sense of joy

School Roski School of Art and Design

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Design

Degree Conferral Date 2022-12

Publication Date 09/12/2022

Defense Date 09/12/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag AdoptADigtalWolf,finding joy,Joy,memories from childhood joy,OAI-PMH Harvest,popular culture,self-identity

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Ellenburg, Jason (committee chair), Greiman, April (committee member), O'connell, Brian (committee member), Wojciak, Ewa (committee member)

Creator Email lyna1223liu@gmail.com,yanaliu@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC111992651

Unique identifier UC111992651

Legacy Identifier etd-LiuYana-11201

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Liu, Yana

Type texts

Source 20220917-usctheses-batch-980 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu