What does happiness mean? We, as humans, believe that happiness is an emotion of joy, success, contentment, satisfaction, and well-being. But do we really know what these emotions are? Here are some sample suggestions published in the book “Happiness is…” [Swerling, Lazar, 2016]:
– getting a new haircut done,
– discovering a new book by your favorite author,
– waking up to realize you don’t have to go to work,
– making pancakes for the family on a Saturday morning,
– buying flowers for yourself
And why not add drawing and sharing a beautiful painting or a piece of wall art to the checklist?
The Publishing Department at the Medical University of Varna invites all of our teachers, students, and employees with a passion for art, as well as all our international friends around the globe, to participate in the joint initiative of the Press House with the Department of Social Medicine and Health Care Organization dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the department and the International Day of Happiness.
Both young and grown-up “artists” are welcome to join the celebration! We have chosen The Day of the Spring Equinox – March 20 to start the initiative, as it coincides with The International Day of Happiness. The International Day of Happiness was officially established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly on June 28, 2012, and has been celebrated annually since 2013 on March 20. The Vernal Equinox is also celebrated on that same date in Bulgaria, but the holiday is better known amongst locals as The First Day of Spring.
Spring is an awakening. It is the season that brings happiness, new dreams, and joys together. Let’s celebrate this happiness with a brush in one hand and a blank sheet of paper in the other! We offer you the opportunity to participate independently or together with your children in the “beautification” of a colorful book, which is to be published by Varna Medical University Press in 2023. The most original drawings and paintings will find their place among the pages of the publication, and the participants will receive the book as a gift for Christmas. A personal gift to warm the beautiful winter holiday with some spring energy!
All you need to do in order to support our art initiative is to submit the drawings created by you and your family members between March 20 and May 24 in one of the following ways:
1) Via Bulgarian Post or a courier company addressed at: Varna, 9002, 55 Marin Drinov St., Publishing Department at the Medical University of Varna
2) By email at: press@mu-varna.bg
Add a short description of the drawing or a brief note sharing your “recipe for happiness”. It can be a verse from your favourite poet or an excerpt from a song that has inspired you, along with the name and age of the author(s). There are no restrictions on the painting technique or the size of the wall art. Express the magic and charm of spring through your eyes. Paint with the colors and materials that make you happy! And remember that any child or adult can be a talented artist when drawing brings them pleasure! We have all seen Exupéry’s memorable drawings and sketches. As simple as they are, they convey significant messages. He believes that it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown−ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown−ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained… Grown−ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
If for you, drawing #1 is more than a simple hat, we look forward to receiving your personal colorful art painted on a blank sheet of paper, canvas, sketchbook, or whatever makes you feel happy!
