There are Hundreds of Languages Around the World, and a Smile Speaks them All

Bren Bataclan was a successful graphic designer during the tech boom. Then the dotcom bubble hit, the economy crashed and in 2000 he found himself unemployed. For the next three years, he scrambled to find odd jobs and was barely able to pay his bills.

I was desperatelosing weight out of misery, Bren says. Even though I was being really optimistic, misery manifested one way or another. So I tried many things to help my mind-set, including painting.

Bren had loved doodling as a kid and...