The Art of Whimsy!

Whimsical: playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.

As summer is in full swing with a crazy heat wave in the Northeast for some reason, I have been infatuated by the idea of whimsy; being whimsical.

What does it mean to live a whimsical life and why does it sound so exciting?

Growing up I read books of Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, and Olivia the Pig. Looking back, they were full of whimsical pursuits. All of these ideas are coming from memory, a little hazy to say the least but when I think back to them the creativity and imagination strikes first in these silly children books. Olivia the Pig was personally my favorite with Olivia recreating masterpieces of art and fun, remembering these stories as I get older, it truly makes sense as to why I am the way I am now, loving inspiration from others and cherishing such.

Getting older, I wonder where the whimsy had escaped, or perhaps it dug deeper within me; tucked away.

I’ve become a big fan of the app Substack recently, where you can post, read, and see creators and writers at work for free! An article that caught my attention was titled Advice for Making Life More Whimsical and Joyful by Jenna O’Brien and oh my goodness, simply reading this article I had never felt so alive. I wanted to jump in a pile of crispy autumn leaves or go to a dog park with a bag full of treats and a good book, enjoying puppies and sunshine.

In the article it seems so simple. And maybe that’s all that whimsical is, simplicity.

Thinking about moving into my first apartment in a couple of months, I am scared. I don’t want a boring day to day life of wake up, work, eat, bed, repeat with potential fun on the weekend if my friends are free (fingers crossed.) I have come to realize whimsical is a form of self care in a sense. To me whimsical is to stand out, to be different, to be you. And so many of us, me included, lose that as we get older.

the wants turn into…

• a job on the market
• a ‘normal’ university experience
• a family with a dog
• a home

and I’m not to say you can’t want and/or have all of these things, but with the idea of whimsy you turn these experiences to you. What is written in your story, not what seems to be in everyone else’s. If we all had the same stories, imagine just how boring life may be… as cliche as that idea is, it’s simply true. We need whimsy to fulfill what is ours, our story, our narrative, our being.

As I am thinking of my apartment I am thinking of ways to add joy, color, and beauty into those walls. Since doing my much needed research on the art of whims, I am finding so many hidden ways to add playfulness into your space, your life, and your mind. People claim immaturity in those that enjoy childlike things, but why do we think kids are the happiest among us? Maybe its not immature, perhaps it’s quite a mature and a pleasant way to be.

Now these are no claims of behave like a child, simply indulge in your childlike enjoyments! I always enjoyed coloring, writing and reading, music, and cooking since I was a little girl. Why because a few more birthdays have passed, should I let go of my joys.

I am working on whimsy, the delight in life. The differences we can make in our little worlds that could even potentially help others. With whimsical actions we can help not only ourselves but those around us. Have you ever seen someone so true to themselves, wearing fun outfits and carrying a fun drink? To me, that’s simply whimsical. And when I see those people out and about, I only feel joy, and there must be a reason,

Authenticity perhaps plays a role into this as well. Whimsy is different for every single being on this planet! I’ve been playing around with whims and what I find the most whimsical, to me whimsical is when I am in the sun, playing around with clothes, eating fruits, and creating (anything.) Others may have different whimsical habits, but that’s the beauty!

To wrap this up, I thought I would curate a little randomized list of things I do to feel WHIMSICAL!

• Hanging out with people that I can be ME around, even if that’s my grandparents:)
• Using funky and fun words!
• Arts and crafts, I’m currently trying to get back into junk journaling
• Listening to light music and just dancing it out
• Wearing fun colors, I’ve been loving yellow recently
• Looking at old photos; seeing how moments were captured
• Trying new things, as simple as new ice cream flavors

Just to name a few fun ways of feeling WHIMSY!

I’ll probably do a whole different post on what I do to feel whimsical towards the end of summer to catch up on the journey!

Be you and let others be them, and while doing this love plays the strings to make a beautiful little tune!

I hope we can embark on this trail together to find and be the whimsy.

Love you lots!!

Gracie<3