The Happy Show

This weekend instead of getting out of town in our Westfalia we decided to stay local and take it slow.  One of the reasons was to get to The Happy Show Exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver before it’s close.

The Happy Show by Stefan Sagmeister, and one of Trevor’s favourite TED talk presenters (Link Here).  

“Sagmeister, who has documented his struggles with alcohol and drugs, weight gain, and depression, first conceptualized The Happy Show in an attempt to define and control his own happiness during a client-free sabbatical—a year-long break he takes every seven years to creatively recharge. The final display is the result of 10 years of research into his own personal happiness.” - MOV

The exhibit was thought provoking and inspiring.  On top of that it was entertaining for a two year old which is rare for a museum!  Many of the displays were interactive, colourful and held his attention.  The bicycle that powered a neon light display was his favourite and a low table with toys allowed me to browse and actually read the captions.

Most importantly the question of happiness is something that has been on my mind very much lately.  While the exhibit didn’t touch on happiness as it relates to space and material things directly, it did focus on the fact that happiness can be learned or trained.  Admittedly, I am not one of the 50% that is genetically naturally happy (more details here), I am a worrier by nature and like to run through worst case scenarios first and foremost.  So the idea that I can train myself to be happier is very appealing. I also found the exhibit validated my love of a project and setting goals as a means to happiness.  So while I am here, let me say thank you for reading along with one of my projects and goals (this 600sqft.com space) that provides me with immense happiness.