Joy: A Reminder to Celebrate Being Alive
- Jasleni Brito
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
Some paintings arrive with a message that feels simple but powerful.
Joy was one of those.
The woman in this piece is smiling with her whole being. Her curls rise around her like a crown, and behind her a warm yellow circle glows like the sun. In the foreground, a bright green parrot rests on a branch. At the base of the painting sits a small pink circle holding an eye inside a triangle, a symbol of awareness and perspective.
All of it comes together to tell a quiet truth.
Joy isn’t something we earn after everything in life finally goes right.
It’s something we allow ourselves to experience in the middle of ordinary moments.
Funny enough, this painting actually had a different name at first. When I originally created it, I called it “Celia y el Loro” — Celia and the Parrot. I was simply painting a woman full of warmth and personality with her colorful companion. Later, when I began creating La Caribeña Oracle Deck, the meaning of the piece became crystal clear. The energy of the painting was pure JOY, so it naturally became the JOY card in the deck.
This painting became an exploration of that idea. The simple pleasure of sunlight on your face. The laughter that shows up unexpectedly. The beauty of nature, color, sound, and being alive in your body.
The parrot in the piece carries its own symbolism too. Parrots are bold communicators. They are colorful, expressive, and unapologetically themselves. In many ways, the parrot is a reminder that joy grows when we allow ourselves to be authentic and speak our truth.
When I painted this woman, I wasn’t thinking about wealth or achievement. I was thinking about the kind of joy that lives in everyday life. The kind that doesn’t require permission.
The natural wood grain behind the image is left visible on purpose. I love allowing the wood’s texture and imperfections to remain part of the artwork. It reminds me that beauty and joy don’t require perfection. They show up in the raw, imperfect, real moments of life.
This painting is also featured on the JOY card of La Caribeña Oracle Deck, where it serves as a reminder that happiness is not something we chase. It’s something we choose to notice.
Sometimes the most radical thing we can do is slow down, look around, and realize how much beauty is already here.
Curious if this piece is still available?
Visit the shop to see if the original painting has found its home. And if it has, you can still collect the artwork through the La Caribeña Oracle Deck, where all the paintings live together in one magical package.
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