Week #62 – Six Weeks to Happyness: EXPRESS YOURSELF!!! (Happyness in Action –with Scott Cuzzo)

Free coloring page!

“Express yourself!” (facebook.com/sprymind)

Week #62 – Six Weeks to Happyness: EXPRESS YOURSELF!!
(Happyness in Action — with Graphic Designer, Scott Cuzzo)

Greetings Happyness Tribe!

Last week I asked you to send me your nominations for individuals who TAKE ACTION and Spread Happyness for the benefit of others.  In exchange, I promised to donate one can of coffee to the local food bank for each nomination.  Well…I’m pleased to announce I have a nice little line-up of individuals who are making wonderful contributions at their local levels — and a half-dozen tubs of Folgers ready for good homes!

I’ll look forward to sharing each of their stories with you in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, here is our first nomination for Happyness in Action: Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Scott Cuzzo (facebook.com/sprymind), for his free coffee cup coloring page — and an important message about what the world needs from YOU!

Scott is a graphic designer and illustrator who, just this past May, decided to put his skills to work for himself by creating and publishing his own version of adult coloring books.  While engaging in an online chat for people who care for elderly parents, someone said: “I wish I had coloring books to bring my mom, but they are either too complicated (like the current adult book trend), or silly children’s books.”  As a designer and illustrator, Scott realized that he could fill this need, that he could do it quickly, and with no funding.  Above all, Scott realized it was important work.  From there, Scott created a brand and a logo — and got a quick blog up and running.  SpryMind was born…with a mission to design coloring books suitable for all ages by providing a range of difficulty and topics.

Six months later, Scott has four coloring books available on Amazon — and last week he found himself in the middle of a social media controversy over coffee cups.  Like most people…Scott had his own strong opinions but he told me he tries not to engage in religion or politics on Facebook.  So he created something instead!  “I’m a creative person…and my brain just reacts to things. I thought…let’s give people a cup…and they can decorate it however they choose!”

“Go for it!  It’s just a cup!” — Scott Cuzzo

The idea struck fast…and within an hour he was done.  “The topic was hot, so I acted quickly. Waiting too long would have been a fail.”  He drew the cup…and put it out there on his Facebook page.  For free!

The response?  Scott’s surprised at how many people shared his post!  Some have even colored them in and sent them back to him.  And me…well…I contacted him for an interview!  Why?  Because he TOOK ACTION to make people happy!

“I just wanted to respond in a way that didn’t create anything negative. I love to make people laugh. Laughter is vital and healing.” — Scott Cuzzo

Seems easy right?  It’s not.  In Scott’s own words, “It’s so easy to come up with ideas! Follow through is HARD.”  He added: “Fear is real. It creeps in and must be destroyed…regularly.”

Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: EXPRESS YOURSELF!!!  The world needs your skills, your ideas, your commitment, AND your follow through!  It isn’t easy, I know.  There are thousands of distractions and an abundance of (sometimes very good) reasons not to do things.  Start today!  It might be as simple as Scott’s blank coffee cup coloring page!  Print it out and use it to create YOUR vision of the holiday season ahead.  Make it a family project, a business contest, or office icebreaker.  Most important…share it with others!  We don’t need social media memes or some corporation to tell us what to think…EXPRESS YOURSELF!

“The world is a fragile, sad, messed up place.  It needs your love.  Give it away freely and generously, like you’re made of the stuff.  Start now.”  – Scott Cuzzo

Spread Happyness — EXPRESS YOURSELF in the comments!  (And if you do color in the page…please share it with Scott!  Or send him dark chocolate…he really likes that!)

11/20/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

(To learn more about Scott, visit him on Facebook (facebook.com/sprymind) or contact him directly at scott@sprymind.com.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Week #62 – Six Weeks to Happyness: EXPRESS YOURSELF!!! (Happyness in Action –with Scott Cuzzo)

  1. anne wright

    My husband, as Grace knows, is not living in an assisted living. We were married 6 years ago, my second marriage. It was at the end of our second year I began to see the signs. It began with difficulty connecting the dots take make up a life. Confusion, mood changes, generalized weakness. UCLA diagnosed him with dementia. Unable to care for him he was placed in a sweet little facility in Hunterdon County.

    So, what does this have to do with the challenge. Christmas is approaching. He has little memory of our life together, a life filled with fun. We even sang at the Hollywood Bowl. For me a wonderful memory, for him, a memory lost forever. What I am going to ask everyone and anyone during this holiday season is this: Send this man a Christmas Card. Even though he doesn’t know you and may forget he got a card in the moment he derives joy. I want to hang them around his room. We can talk about them when I go. He has forgotten my name, but recognizes me. He calls me, are you ready, Penelope Poopsedoodle.
    Address cards to Prof. Robert Wright, Hunterdon Hills Assisted Living, 486 west Hill Road, Glen Gardner, New Jersey 08826
    After you do that send another card to someone in your community, Church, family member who you lost touch with, someone who needs contact during this time. The gift you will receive far outweighs what the recipient does.

    Thank you, God bless
    Penelope Poopsedoodle

    1. Grace Church Post author

      This is a great idea for anyone with a relative that lives alone or in a facility. I’m sure there are others like you who would love for their relatives to receive a barrage of Christmas Cards — would be an awesome and easy ministry to set up at a church or office or school!

Comments are closed.