Introduction

Why I am telling this story.

This is the introduction of the story “The Happiness Table: on fueling growth by understanding happiness in creative companies.” It’s my Advanced Work-Based Project and my final deliverable for my MA in Digital Media at Hyper Island.

I have written The Happiness Table because I really believe in three things.

1. Happiness should be omnipresent in people’s lives, both personally and especially professionally.

Each day, people spend so many hours at work. And I know so many people in the creative industry who actually don’t like what they do. I know so many people who don’t know that they don’t like what they do. I know so many people who don’t see the mega rich vault of possibilities that is right in front of them because of unawareness, blindness, fear or ignorance. These people have certain beliefs, values and behaviors that are both conservative and harmful. These people do things because other people who have been around for a bit longer have showed them that this is the way. “Because it’s always been done this way.”

2. I don’t only want to help myself. I want to help my peers more than ever.

Happiness on the work floor is often influenced by the wrong people who don’t see or who don’t want to see what’s in front of them. I want to help people who dó see things, but who just need a small nudge. I want to drive awareness, open up perspectives and help those people by giving them a little push. I want to make a change. I want to make people happier on the work floor. Moreover, I want to make the assumption that there’s a strong relation between happiness and growth.

3. I believe that strategists should make things.

I want to challenge the misconception that people have about strategists. By many people, strategists are still perceived as thinking ego’s who only come out of their ivory towers when they need to brief other people. They are perceived as people who are dull and who don’t like to make their hands dirty. I am going to prove you wrong. The final outcome of The Happiness Table is going to be a working prototype beyond the framework. It demonstrates that thinking and being practical at the same time should be something every individual in a creative environment aspires. Coming up with interesting findings, boiling these down to one cohesive main thought that allows you and others to come up with ideas — is not enough. It’s also about stretching yourself as far as you can to make them happen.

You don’t want to know how many times I’ve changed the title of “The Happiness Table”.

It’s been a real ride. And I’ve enjoyed it like crazy.

If you want to know more about the many hoops I’ve jumped through, please read Chapter One that is called “Pivot: how I found my focus.” But you are free not to.

Please comment, construct, agree or disagree. You can also contact me via thomas.waegemans@hyperisland.se

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

— Thomas