Honors College Art & Science of Emotions Fall 2017 (1:20 p.m.) Happiness Group Journal | Page 7

The Inspiration
Our schedules, phones and
to-do lists keep us from the very
things that make us happy, like
nature and spending time with
those that we love. In our class
collaboration image,
“The Happiness Paradox,”
calendars and to-do lists are
shown in life size scale. Society
expects students to follow hectic
schedules and increase the
productivity of their days to
become successful, for many this is
overwhelming and stressful. This
feeling of being overwhelmed can
be understood as depicting the
sublime in our art piece.
According to Kant, the sublime
describes experiences that are
massive in size (or complexity)
that overwhelm us. In our image,
the walls are made out of to-do
lists, the floor is made out of a
calendar, and the counter is made
of a cell phone-even the
prescription pills tower over the
individual. The anonymous person
is shown as a small figure in
comparison to all of these
elements, creating a scaled
representation of the person’s
priorities. Similarly, when we
become so overwhelmed with
things to do, we can feel small
and insignificant. The realization
of society's expectations of you,
including those of friends, family,
and peers result in sublime
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