CASSANDRA

Daily

SOCIAL HAPPINESS PROJECTS

Drawings online bring the joy

With the current threat of TikTok being banned in the U.S., and ongoing discussions around social media around the potentially harmful impact on users when it comes to safety, body image, and mental wellbeing, many creators are looking to flip that narrative on its head. Instead, they are choosing to use these platforms as a tool for creating joy and kindness, offering wisdom and insights on important themes central to our mental health via the mediums of digital art, illustrations, and extended captions, all while keeping it real and avoiding empty platitudes. Ahead, we look at three creators and their happiness projects that provide comforting online enclaves along with positivity and self-reflection.

Image of a pink blob illustration of Lennnie with the handwritten text "I am resilient and I am strong."

ITSLENNNIE

Having amassed 4.3M followers across TikTok and Instagram, Lennnie is a super cute animated blob who, with his soft and relaxing voice, talks about topics such as mental health, positive self-talk, and overcoming obstacles, all in a relatable and approachable manner. Lennnie’s content has been shared by celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Jennifer Aniston; Lennnie is in high demand by brands, having done partnerships with skincare companies, mental health apps, TED, UNICEF, and numerous others. Lennnie’s goal is to help people feel understood and less alone while dealing with things we all go through but don’t always discuss.

Illustration of a frog holding up a yellow sign that has the text "you can't waste time— it's impossible. you're going what you're doing and that's just what's happening, baby," by justfrogetaboutit

JUST FROGET ABOUT IT

While oil painter Sarah Nilson was out of work and feeling stuck, she challenged herself to draw something that would keep her going and keep her on a good track with her mental health and wellness and the result of that was… a frog. This little frog is her tiny work of encouragement which she now shares with her growing base of over 313K followers across Instagram and TikTok. Last week, after Drew Barrymore and Viola Davis shared to their followers how they are finding comfort in her work - her accounts quickly amassed over 1M likes between them and she is now selling prints of her little frog on her website.

Logo for Voidpet with the text "a self care pet collection app." The scenery has illustrations of nature and animals: sun and clouds in the sky, a flying white dragon in the sky, a black bird in the corner, and mushrooms and trees against a mountain background

VOIDPET

After struggling with her mental health and as an outlet for her emotions, TikTok creator Linda Shad started sketching creatures where each represented a feeling, be it anxiety, sadness, or anger. Months later, she found herself raising capital for a Pokémon-style video game she'd created featuring those very emotion-based characters. Voidpet is now a growing game with a rampant following on TikTok, garnering over 46.2M views that will make you think about what you feel and understand how, sometimes, small actions can have a big impact on your mental health and well-being.