Nicole Jarzembowski Happiness Interview

After taking the time to reflect on how I perceive happiness I truly found what happiness meant to me. Knowing that I am just one single person, I know that my outlooks on what I see happiness as are not going to be the same for another person. I chose a girl that I believe seems to be a happy person and as if their life is fine and dandy, but I know that I shouldnt judge a book by its cover and that I should see if there was more to her story. I interviewed Mackenzie, who is a typical college student and here for the same reason as everyone else. Mackenzie and I met at the only open time she had, which was late at night, and we met in a lounge here on campus. When I feel like nothing else matters, just what is going on in the moment is the response I got from Mackenzie when I had asked her what was her initial thought on her definition of happiness. She specified that she finds happiness when she creates her own art, for the reason that her mom was an art major and she passed that flame down to her. When she was growing up she would find her mom doing art in the middle of the kitchen when she would wake up. Although her mother is what influenced her passion for art, she has taken that on as her own happiness. When I asked Mackenzie if she felt that her happiness was internal or external she didnt take sides, but told me that it is both. She feels it is a physical thing that she does because when she is drawing it is her hands doing the work. She also feels that it is internal because she puts her whole self into her work, especially with her mind. I asked her to give me an example of her happiness with her art and she couldnt really put it in to words, but what I did get from her was

when I see it done then I get physically like wow, I did that likementally its the joy of seeing it. When she couldnt say much beyond that it struck me that she must feel some sort of way to not even have words. Mackenzie told me that there is only two times that she will draw; either when its a late night and she is bored due to her insomnia or when she is really upset whether it is sad or angry it gives her a safe haven to just release her emotions. She stated, it takes my mind off what is wrong and put it into something else. From when I reflected on my own happiness I thought about what emotion I identified happiness with and so I relayed the question to her. She has a common feeling of happiness with me because she feels a mix of relaxation and a release. Strive to be emotionally self-sufficent so you can draw close to other people was a quote from Happiness Paradoxes in our resource section, this quote was something that stuck out to Mackenzie because she feels like thats how she acts. She said along the lines of she is who she is and she knows what she likes and dislikes, she knows her strengths and weaknesses. She wanted me to know that if are self-aware about stuff related to that, that you can put other people first and sympathize with them, rather than being egocentric. Other than just her art that she finds happiness in, I wanted to know if she others recognized her as a generally happy person. She discussed how she believes she is viewed as a happy, outgoing girl and that it is really hard for her to get upset in front of people. That switched a light bulb in my head to ask if she genuinely doesnt get upset or is is just in front of others. I caught it right on spot that she hides her sad emotions from others but told me if I had extra time she would be willing to open up more, but we will put that on the back burner for a moment.

Mackenzie believes that we dont just have a set level of happiness that we return back to time and time again, she feels as if happiness grows. She talked about how there are times that she can think back to about when she thought she was in her happiest moment, but when she thinks about it more recently she could be in an even happier moment. Lastly, I talked to Mackenzie about why happiness is important, because it keeps a person sane. From the interview that I had with her I have gained some new insights and learned more than I thought I would about her. We got into a part of the interview in which I cannot disclose all of the details but we talked about low points in our lives and where we are at now. I told her about my past and my struggles with depression and then she began her life story with me. It relates to her family and not being as close as they could have been due to some factors, that really took a toll on her. She struggled to find comfort from her parents because of situations and was in a low place. She had the thought process that she wasnt going anywhere in life, with school or a job and would have never thought she would make it to college. It truly is an eye opener when you dont just learn one part of their lives but the good, the bad, and the evil. In conclusion, I am satisfied with the results from Mackenzie because it had a reason to her rhyme. It is something that I enjoyed because I was able to reflect on myself through her words. I have a better understanding that everyone has their own views on everything it just all depends on who our lives are lived. As in the beginning of my paper I said that I assumed she was a happy girl from that perfect family and perfect life and understand that there is no one person on this planet that can say they have lived the perfect life. Whether it is an internal or external influence there is always that something that we rise from and can identify that the peak is our happiness.

Own art 1. Whats an initial thought on your definition of happiness -when I feel like nothing else matters just whats going on in the moment 2. What influences your happiness My mom, she was an art major and I grew up with her doing art in the middle of the kitchen when I wake up shed be doing art work for other people and she passed that skill n to me 3. Is it internal or external Both to be honest, because its a physical thing to do because when i am drawing even though i am sitting or lying down I put my whole body into to it both mental and physical 4. Examples When I see it done then I get physically like wow I did that like..Mentally its the joy of seeing it 5. What other emotions play into your happiness Usually 2 times youll see me drawing when its a late night and i am bored because I have insomnia or when I am really upset about something whether its sad or angry it gives me time to take my mind off whats wrong and put it into something else 6. Do people identify you as a happy person and why do you think people think that Ya I think so because its really hard for me to get upset in front of people, i am a really outgoing people person 7. How do you identify with a paradox and why Strive to be emotionally self-sufficient so you can draw closer to other people because I feel like thats kind of how I am because I feel like since I am such a people person thats the reason why because I know who I am I know what I like and dislike I know my strengths and weaknesses I feel if youre self-aware about that stuff that you can put other people first and listen and sympathize with other people instead of making people care about yourinstead of showing off instead of making everything about you when there is other things to care about 8. How do you think others feel happiness I think people have to get in the groove of something Im sure sometimes they are already happy like me where I can wake up and be happy Family molds happiness or events they went through anything 9. How do you find happinessexcitement relaxation.. A mix of relaxation and release 10. How does your mood change with happiness think Im generally always happy but when I do draw it makes me more happy obviously but more relaxed and more chilled out 11. Do you think that we all have a set level of happiness or does it grow I think it grows, because just like there are points I can think about when I was happy when I knew this was the happiness I ever been or think of now and this could be the happiest 12. Why do you think happiness is important Because keeps a person sane 13. What was low point I thought I wasnt going to go anywhere in life like my mom left me a lot I didnt think Id make it out of high school I didnt think Id grow up and go to college or have a job I was young broke and didnt have a family to go to