Press
'The fact that her artwork and stories about her mental health struggles connect with people is valuable to her, she said.
“That is something that I cherish so deeply, and I have never regretted,” Tran said.'
- The Boston Globe
Watch my interview with Boston Public Radio where I talk about the origins of my project, my classes, and how I get in touch with small business owners. I also got to give a tinyfeltedjoy to Governor Maura Healey!
Boston Public Radio
'Karen Tran, who goes by tinyfeltedjoy on TikTok, uses her creative abilities to try and bring happiness to strangers around Boston.
"I hide little felted animals all around Boston for free and I also hide them in local businesses to promote what we have in Boston," Tran said.'
-WBZ NewsRadio
“I want to make [Boston] beautiful and I want to make it a fun place because I think a lot of people in Boston have this idea that it’s not fun and sparkly like other places,” Tran said. “For me to highlight all of these small and amazing local businesses is another way of imparting that joy onto them and being like, no, we actually live somewhere that has a lot to offer.”
-DigBoston
"Karen, the founder of @tinyfeltedjoy, is spreading good vibes throughout Boston with the cutest 2 inches of wool you’ll ever see. She’s been making tiny plush animals for years now, but the project that helped her through a depressive episode yielded so many adorable results that she didn’t know what to do with them. Recently, she hatched the idea to spread the joy by hiding her abundance of animals (almost always wearing hats) throughout the city in small businesses."
-Boston Magazine
"I chose to hide the animals in small, local businesses in Boston because I grew up here. I know the historical yet charming, wicked unique culture that Boston has, and I want to spread that knowledge around in any way that I can. I wanted to do my part to support these businesses and show my followers this culturally diverse city through its restaurants, consignment stores, and cafes run by their hardworking owners."
-Boston Uncovered