Joy in Chaotic Times: Creating a T-Shirt

The world feels a little scary right now. Some days it seems like everything is wobbling, our systems, our expectations, even our sense of what's coming next. It’s enough to make anyone want to curl up under a blanket until further notice.

And yet…That’s exactly when love, justice, and peace tap us on the shoulder and whisper, “Get up—we need you.”

When we create a story that brings us joy, it reminds others what’s still possible. A single story can carry the tremble of fear, the rise of courage, and the spark of human creativity that refuses to give up.

That’s where storytelling can slip in like a warm light through a cracked door. In chaotic times, stories knit us back together. They give us community, spark hope, and help us imagine our way out of trouble. When the world feels like it’s unraveling, storytellers are the ones who gather the loose threads. We hold them, weave them, and gently say, “Look—here’s where the light still shines.”

Creating anything—especially a story—is an act of quiet rebellion against despair. It tells our weary selves: There is still order. There is still a possibility. Joy endures.

Recently, storyteller Laura Simms shared on Facebook that she’s on a “quest to uncover those stories that lift us from fear and turn us toward wonder and bravery.” Yes. Exactly. This is what our stories can do.

So here is my story. It starts with a challenge. Many storytellers I know are feeling discouraged. Storytelling Festivals and Conferences are beautiful gatherings. But the presenters’ pay often doesn’t even cover the cost of participating (travel, lodging, registration). If we want storytelling to flourish, we need bigger audiences that will provide more income for storytellers. More enthusiasm. More visibility. More people understand just how powerful storytelling is for healing and hope.

One night as I drifted off to sleep, I asked myself, “What can I do about this?”At 4 a.m.—that magical hour when theta brain waves are highest, and creativity sneaks out to play, I woke with a song looping in my mind: “High Hopes.”

You know the one - Frank Sinatra belting out optimism in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head. Music by James Van Heusen, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, with ants and rams doing the impossible simply because they believe. That playful joy lit something in me.

And suddenly I had my answer: T-shirts! Wearable joy. Walking invitations for curiosity and conversation about storytelling.

So I contacted my brilliant web designer, Cynthia Nielsen, and together we created a T-shirt design that made me grin from ear to ear. Honestly, the process alone filled me with joy.

We often think joy arrives when the world applauds us. But sometimes joy simply shows up when we make something… anything… that brings a little more light to the world.

Despair thrives in silence and comparison. But joy? Joy bursts out when we play, create, connect, or share a story that helps someone breathe easier or makes them laugh.

Meanwhile, despair lurks in productivity culture, comparison traps, doom scrolling. It whispers that we’re not enough. But despair has one weakness: it can’t hang around when joy walks in. The moment we laugh, share, or listen to a good story, despair loses its grip.

We often get tricked into believing that fame equals value, that the bigger the reach, the more important the work. But here’s the deeper truth: joy isn’t measured in numbers. Joy is measured in restoration. In uplift. In the small, glowing moments that renew us from the inside out.

A Paradoxical Reflection Prompt: How might your definition of success change if you measured it by joy instead of numbers?

If wearing a T-shirt with this logo would bring you joy, and you want storytelling audiences to grow, visit our storefront at www.carolmccormick.net to place your order now!