We asked some of the happiest folks we know to tell us their secret.

Mai Ingevaldsosn

What makes me truly happy is love, connection, and a balanced life where work, relationships, and personal joy flow together. At the heart of everything, I feel happiest when I am surrounded by loving relationships—with my family, friends, clients, and the people I meet through my work. Read more>>

Ivan Hruska

Im happiest most when I get reactions too my work. Playing a show and seeing strangers sing a long to a song and generally seeing the unity and joy music causes is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Read more>>

Armando Cervantes

We believe this can be a loaded question. The coffee business is definitely saturated with many companies today, but when we first thought about starting Liv Coffee, the vision was simple. We wanted it to be a place where our community could come together. Read more>>

Riku Campo

Every morning when I wake up I am happy. I am happy that I am healthy and I am interested in life itself that gives me the motivation to keep going in my personal life and my professional life as well. Read more>>

Geobirttie Wise-Odugu

What truly makes me happy is seeing people feel confident, beautiful, and seen. Whether it’s through Love Your Body By Gigi or Brushes and Strokes by Chyrell. My greatest joy comes from helping someone embrace who they are, inside and out. Read more>>

Alexandra Klein

I actually love this question, especially in these overwhelming times, when the world can feel heartbreaking. Wars, violence, division, endless news cycles – it can feel almost inappropriate to talk about happiness. Sometimes we even feel guilty noticing joy, as if it somehow diminishes someone else’s suffering. I don’t see it that way. Happiness isn’t denial – it’s nourishment. Read more>>

Josh Martin

Nothing makes me happier than the process of bringing a charcoal portrait to life. It often starts years before I put pencil to paper. It begins when I show up to a live music event with my camera in tow — which, more often than not, is the result of some prior communication between myself, a PR team and an editor. Read more>>

Mike Smirnoff

The Contrast of the L.A. Hustle Let’s be lighthearted for a moment: happiness is also finding a parking spot in West Hollywood that doesn’t require a permit or a prayer. But in all seriousness, I love the specific energy of this city. Los Angeles is a place where you can be a ‘student of the craft’ forever. Read more>>

Ari Cogen

What makes me happy? Honestly, so many simple, sensory things. Sunlight on my skin. Cold fruit on the beach. Swimming in the ocean. Riding a skateboard down a long, winding hill. Cliff jumping, doing flips, blasting my favorite music with the windows down. Watching the sunset with friends and feeling completely present in the moment. Read more>>

Enid Harris

By pure chance, a neighbor once invited me over for coffee, and I noticed the most striking ceramic pieces throughout her home—animals, figures, and forms that felt both original and organic. Assuming she had collected them during her travels, I asked where she had bought them. Read more>>

Gwen Samuels

I am realizing at this stage in my life that I am fortunate to be an artist. Making art transports me to a place of freedom and happiness where I can focus on building and creating as a distraction from things that worry or scare me. Read more>>

Mika McCalla

Happiness isn’t waking up every day with a beaming smile and a vivacious pep in your step. Happiness is peace and consistency—the key here being consistency, not perfection. Many of my friends—maybe it’s our youth or being brought up in a world of social media highlight reels—define happiness as a perfect day or an exciting accomplishment. Up until recently, I defined happiness under similar parameters. Read more>>

Blue Hernandez

What makes me happy is the freedom I had to pursue art and exemplify my thoughts and ideas into a work of art. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work freely and express not just myself by my thoughts freely. Not everyone has that privilege and I’m thankful and glad to be able to. Art makes me truly happy and passionate. Read more>>

Alex LiveSaX

What makes me happy is simple — creating moments through music. When I play saxophone and see people suddenly start smiling, dancing, or just stopping for a second to listen, that feeling is hard to explain. It reminds me why I started playing in the first place. I also enjoy the freedom of living a creative life. Read more>>

Ihram Chowdhury

Man, my real life makes me happy. As someone who runs a media company, I’ve made a healthy distinction between my real life and the internet and the business. If you look at my comment section or a reaction video to some of my content, the losers of the internet will have you believing I’m this hated person. Read more>>

Byron Marquez

Being in love. My art has always been motivated by the way my heart feels. Some of the artwork in my releases share feminine imagery and that would absolutely be inspired by feelings, experiences, good and bad with lovers. Balancing creating art and cultivating a loving environment. Life has so much going on, If I’m not creating, I feel unhappy but also its important to “grow flowers”. I believe it’s important to be able to learn the patience it takes to nurture your surroundings. Read more>>