HAPPIER BECAUSE OF THE HAPPY SHOW
Many years ago in 2014, I attend an art show at the Museum of Vancouver that featured Stephan Sagmeister, titled The Happy Show. Quoting the MOCA website, the show is “centered around the designer's ten-year exploration of happiness, this exhibition presents typographic investigations of a series of maxims, or rules to live by, originally culled from Sagmeister's diary, manifested in a variety of imaginative and interactive forms.” While the exhibit has long closed, you can still listen to his TED Talk where he breaks down his life into three parts, we spend our first 25 years learning, the next 40 years working, and the last 15 retired. Sagmeister says “I thought it might be helpful to cut off five of those retirement years and intersperse them in between those working years”. The part the stood out to me most was his idea of taking a year long sebatical every seven years where Sagmeister says “That’s clearly enjoyable for myself but probably even more important is that the work that comes out of those years flows back into the company and the society at larger rather than benefiting just a grandchild or two.”
At the time of the show, I was 37 years old and Kenji was born. While I had the flexibilty to take a year off if I wanted to, I never really considered it mostly because of money. Sagmeister’s idea that a year off could be an investment into myself, my work and my health was never an idea that crosssed my mind.
The idea of creating rather than consuming was something that hit me maybe a few years after university about five years of producing a radio show. The personal and professional growth that I achieved through side projects is what I attribute my success in professional career and so the idea of taking a year off to focus on passionate projects really resonated with me. Yes, I did it on the side or before or after my day job and so I never took the sebatical that Sagmeister references but it came at a cost. It took time and energy, but more sacraficing was the fact that it couldn’t fully commit to these passion products and give it the time and energy that it deserved. At one point the VP of Marketing from Nike Canada said to me and the team, I have seen Sneaker Pimps, Goodfoot’s show and your show, and we think you guys have the best show, and so Nike will gladly support your next project, just keep us in the loop. I know that was just relationship building but it did mean something, and for some reason Sole Searching never continued on after that. What the hell right?
So whats the lesson here? There are many, if you dont focus on the one year sebatical, then focus on the idea that these side projects you do with your free time pay off both personally and professionally, and make you grow as a person and develop and build skills professionally like no other activity. The other lesson, when you have these side hustles you need to make a plan for when do you commit more time to the hustle and who will be the one to commit that extra time.
Matt
