photography challenge

Hello all!

I thought it was about time to share some of my progress with the #100happydays project. So far it has been a lot of fun to do a daily photo challenge. I’m still getting over the shyness of whipping out my phone every time something makes me happy, because I’m worried I’m forcing it. I think that feeling will disappear with time when I relax into the process more. To check out my initial post about #100happydays, click here.

Day 1

This sheer bomber jacket from Target makes me smile because it’s frivolous. Not for warmth in the slightest, this jacket is stylish and fun. Plus it reminds me of The Pink Ladies from Grease, and if you’ve read my recent Wet n’ Wild post, you know I’m a tad obsessed at the moment.

Day 2

After two years in my MA program, I have completed my thesis on Marion Davies, the charismatic actress from the 1930’s. I could go on about Ms. Davies for hours, and I most certainly have in the past. This is the cover sheet for my thesis as it was on its way to binding in the library. My work is going to be in a library! If that can’t make me happy, I don’t know what will!

Day 3

My owl pillow from Pier One has inhabited my couch for the last four years, I believe. His name is Alan Ginsberg after the poet who was famous for “Howl.” Howl…owl…get it? Yeah, I’m not sure it’s accurate either, but the name stuck. And he’s infinitely cuddly.

Day 4

One of my best friends, Dara, and I went wandering around in Ikea in order to help me find a better organization system for my makeup. We may have goofed off a bit with the cart…maybe.

Day 5

Those first few seconds of Etta James’ At Last just send the best kind of shivers down my spine. It’s a perfect soundtrack for a sunny day when everything feels full of hope and beauty. One of the most profound songstresses, Etta James always makes me happy.

Day 6

It’s a troll on top of a pencil. I’m not sure this needs further explanation.

Day 7

There’s a restaurant in Van Nuys called The Hungry Fox, whose slogan is Happiness You Can Eat. They are not lying. The Hungry Fox specialty is chicken and waffles. I’ve never had this legendary American combo before, and my-oh-my was it phenomenal. We’re talking homemade fried chicken with crispy, golden skin and fluffy Belgian waffles the like of which I have never eaten before. YUM. I ate nearly everything on this plate and was full for the rest of the day, but wow was it worth it.

Day 8

I love my laptop and I like whiling away my hours here on the blog or browsing the internet. And as a writer, I spend a lot of quality time with this keyboard. It’s a special bond with one’s computer. I heart it.

Day 9

Before heading home to St. Louis last weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed enjoyed a glass of wine at a hotel bar. It was a lovely Kim Crawford Cabernet Sauvignon, which complemented our night together perfectly.

Day 10

I love books. Physically holding the book in my hands, flipping through its pages just cannot be replaced my an e-reader. My weakness is airport book browsing. It just seems so darn justifiable. These are my goodies from LAX; J.R. Ward’s latest, Possession, and Empty Mansions by Paul Clark Newell Jr. and Bill Dedman. I’ll let you know how I feel about them when I finish, but I’m awful excited about purchasing these books!

Thus ends my first ten days on #100happydays. If you want to follow along on a more daily basis, check out my Instagram @caitlinemccann.

What makes you happy? It is perhaps the most complex and simple question. What if you had to answer that question for 100 days in a row, providing a different answer each day by taking a photograph of the thing that makes you happy? Could you do it? I’m about to find out for myself.

Megan, a friend of mine, posted on Facebook about this happiness project conducted by 100happydays.com. Intrigue! The challenge is straight-forward: take a picture of something that makes you happy once a day, every day for 100 days. Tag your glimpses of happiness with #100happydays. You can use whichever social media platform you’d like, but it’s a real commitment. They’re going to see if you keep up with these little photos.

According to the 100happydays website, 71% of participants do not complete the challenge. Those same participants cite lack of time as the reason for not posting. That’s essentially saying, you don’t have time to be happy. Or notice what makes you smile.

Please, Lord, let me have time for this! My phone is glued to my hand or securely in my purse for 99% of my day; it even sits next to me as I sleep. There is really no excuse for not trying at this challenge, except for the fear of my own excuses. And I don’t want to be shut down by my own excuses.

100happydays is not meant to show off or one-up anyone. This is for me and my understanding of myself. The perk of some potentially wonderful pictures is just that, a perk. The website also states that people who complete the challenge have 1) started noticing what makes them happy 2) claimed an improvement in their daily mood 3) started receiving more compliments from others 4) realized how lucky they are to have the lives they do 5) become more optimistic and 6) fall in love during the challenge. These are not promises or guarantees. The results here are up to you.

My challenge begins today. I’m nervous and excited about starting this project. It helps too that there is a website holding me accountable for keeping up with this. Kind of like when you go to the gym with a friend. I’ll be participating via my Instagram account, which I’ve left a link to below. Ever so often, I’ll check in here and let you see some of my snapshots of happiness.

If you decide to give this beastie a shot, let me know in the comments which social media platform you’ll be using and we can support each other.

Good luck, everybody!

Instagram: caitlinemccann