R+D

Gratitude Project > Call for Submissions

WHAT:

I need your help! Tell me what you’re grateful for.

WHY: I’m an artist whose projects examine positive emotions, optimism, and pessimism.

My next installation—to be exhibited in the UK—will be a collective gratitude journal of sorts.

Gratitude journals are often cited by psychologists as first step towards increasing subjective well-being (happiness). Psychologists Bob Emmons and Mike McCullough found that people who wrote down five things they were grateful for each week for nine weeks had more positive emotion overall than other groups in the study. In a study that replicated the results, the gratitude journal-keepers “reported greater satisfaction with their lives, more optimism regarding the upcoming week, and greater connection with others.” (Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd, The Time Paradox, 2008)

HOW: Write your first responses, or mull it over and submit a list. Submit as often as you like. Submit by:

Comment below

or

Send me an email: gratitudeproject (at) christinewongyap.com.

WHEN:

Submit now. I’ll accept submissions through September early October. Keep ‘em coming, please!

The text you submit (edited for brevity or clarity) may appear in an installation. I’ll post documentation by the end of November on my website. Your name will not appear with the work, but if you include your name/contact info, I would be happy to acknowledge your contribution on the project web page, and send you a note when the documentation is posted.

Thank you for your help. I will be very grateful for your submissions.