Happiness As A 3D Artist
Five Ways to Improve Well-Being in the Workplace
At this year's SXSW, I was blown away by the remarkable technologies and companies showcased. Yet, one presentation, Improve Well-Being in the Workplace: Emerging Trends from the Science of Happiness has stayed with me above all others.
Truthfully, I hadn't initially intended to attend it. My co-worker, Selena Lounds, and I were in line for another session when it reached full capacity, and we couldn't get in. On Selena's suggestion, we decided to attend this talk instead, and I'm incredibly glad we did.
The speaker, Dr. Laurie Santos, a Professor of Psychology at Yale University and the host of "The Happiness Lab" podcast, shared insights from her course, "Psychology and the Good Life," Yale's most popular course in the last 300 years.
Believing this topic to be crucial for everyone, I aim to amplify Dr. Santos's insights to the 3D Community, focusing on how to achieve happiness in our work lives.
Why Prioritize Mental Health for Your Job?
Caring about mental wellness at work is important for several reasons, all of which contribute to the overall health, productivity, and success of both individuals and organizations. Here are key reasons why mental wellness in the workplace matters:
1. Enhances Productivity and Performance
Mental wellness impacts cognitive functions such as concentration, memory, and decision-making. When employees are mentally healthy, they are more likely to maintain high levels of productivity and performance. Mental wellness programs can help reduce absenteeism and presenteeism (working while sick), significantly affecting productivity.
2. Improves Employee Engagement and Satisfaction
Employees who feel their workplace supports their mental health are likelier to feel engaged and satisfied with their jobs. This leads to a more positive workplace culture, lower turnover rates, and stronger loyalty to the company.
3. Fosters Innovation and Creativity
Mental wellness is linked to higher levels of creativity and innovation. Mentally healthy employees are more likely to feel confident in taking risks, proposing new ideas, and contributing creatively to projects.
Investing in mental wellness at work is not just a moral obligation; it's a strategic business decision. It can lead to a more productive, engaged, and resilient workforce. Moreover, as awareness of mental health issues grows, employees increasingly expect their employers to offer support in this area. Therefore, addressing mental wellness is crucial for attracting and retaining talent, fostering a positive workplace culture, and ensuring long-term organizational success.
The 5 Tips to Improve Well-Being in the Workplace
Okay….so prioritizing mental wellness increases productivity and profits and reduces employee burnout. Cool… So…how do we achieve happiness at work? Great question!
There's been a wealth of research on this subject, and Dr. Santos has pinpointed five key strategies to enhance happiness in the workplace.
1. Use Negative Emotions Wisely
Negative emotions at work are going to happen. Just because you are aiming to have good mental wellness at work does not mean you won’t become frustrated, annoyed, or just pissed off about something. One step to happiness in the workplace is to learn how to process and deal with negative emotions.
Many people's initial reaction is to suppress these emotions—pushing them aside or burying them in an effort to maintain professionalism and focus on work. However, this approach often backfires. The unaddressed emotions fester, consuming mental energy to keep suppressed, leading to a loss of focus, impaired memory, and reduced productivity and presence in tasks and meetings.
Dr. Santos encourages viewing negative emotions as your car's warning lights, signaling that something needs attention. It's either you or a professional (akin to a mechanic in this analogy) who needs to delve into the problem to resolve it.
To address negative emotions constructively, Dr. Santos recommends the…can you feel the acronym coming…RAIN method:
Recognize what is happening. Pinpoint the emotions you're experiencing and their triggers.
Allow yourself to feel these emotions. Don't rush to quell them; instead, let your body and mind process them naturally.
Investigate the root cause of these emotions with interest and care, seeking to understand why you feel this way.
Nurture yourself with self-compassion, offering kindness and understanding to yourself as you work through these emotions.
2. Rethink Productivity & Time Affluence
In many modern workplaces, especially in the tech industry, measuring productivity can be challenging. Unlike traditional roles where output was clear—like bushels of corn harvested or cars produced—the contributions of tech workers to a company's profitability, such as making a film or developing a game, are less tangible. Attempts to quantify these contributions through sprints and short-term goals often feel arbitrary and disconnected from the actual value created.
This ambiguity leads many to equate busyness with productivity. Calendars are packed with back-to-back Zoom calls, and inboxes overflow with messages, creating an illusion of productivity. However, this cycle of continuous activity contributes to a phenomenon known as "time famine," a state where there never seems to be enough time to accomplish meaningful tasks. The stress and unhappiness associated with time famine can be as severe as the emotional distress experienced by those who are unemployed.
The antidote to this cycle is identifying and focusing on true goals to achieve "time affluence," where you have the time and freedom to complete work that is genuinely important. Embracing time affluence can significantly enhance happiness and satisfaction at work.
To combat time famine, it's crucial to learn to say no and to celebrate these decisions. Marking these 'no's' on your calendar can help you reclaim time for tasks that align with your real priorities.
Dr. Santos likens the accumulation of minor, seemingly insignificant tasks and meetings to "time termites." These small distractions may seem harmless individually, but collectively, they significantly erode productivity and well-being. Addressing these issues by focusing on meaningful goals and safeguarding your time can lead to a more fulfilling work life
.
3. Better Performance Through Self-Compassion
We're all too familiar with the relentless ethos of hustle culture—incessant pushing, perpetual grinding… “I can sleep when I’m dead!!!”. While such sentiments might garner likes on platforms like the LinkedIn_Lunatics subreddit (a personal indulgence), the reality is that the non-stop hustle is unsustainable and often detrimental. Yet, breaking free from this cycle proves challenging for many.
Dr. Santos offers a compassionate antidote to this: treat yourself as you would your best friend. It's natural for us to extend more kindness and understanding to loved ones than we do to ourselves. So, when faced with a workplace challenge, she advises considering the advice you'd offer a friend in the same situation.
Furthermore, Dr. Santos recommends the simple, yet profound act of giving yourself a hug. This gesture can trick our brains—which often hold onto self-criticism and are indifferent to whether we're hugging ourselves or being hugged by someone else—into feeling comforted and soothed. This practice, embraced by an entire auditorium of participants, underscores the power of self-compassion and physical self-reassurance in nurturing our mental well-being.
Try it yourself…I will give you a moment…
…
…
Good, right!
4. Craft Your Job So It’s a Calling
A significant source of dissatisfaction at work stems from a mismatch between personal values and job responsibilities. When there's a feeling that one's work doesn't contribute meaningfully to the world, it can lead to a sense of disconnection and unhappiness. It's clear that not every job involves dramatic acts of heroism or lifesaving feats, but each role offers the potential to leave a positive imprint in some way.
The initial step toward bridging this gap is to discern your core character strengths—what truly motivates and matters to you. This could be anything from bravery and citizenship to humor, kindness, love, or spirituality. Identifying what you hold dear and wish to share with the world can transform how you perceive your work.
Dr. Santos highlighted the story of a janitor working at a children's hospital as a powerful illustration of this concept. His official duties involved maintaining the hospital's physical environment, but he found true motivation in spreading kindness and humor. By engaging with patients and their families, making them laugh, and bringing lightness to difficult situations, he enriched his work with meaning and purpose. Even in moments that might seem bleak, like cleaning up after a sick child, he managed to inject humor and warmth, demonstrating that any job can be a conduit for contributing value and joy to others.
5. Have a Best Friend at Work
A study was conducted to determine what makes people happiest at work. Do you think it was more pay? A better work/life balance? Nope. It was a sense that the people you work with genuinely care about you. And the people who were the happiest were able to identify a best friend at work.
For those of us who cherish remote work, the challenge lies in forging these meaningful connections without the daily face-to-face interactions an office environment provides. Overcoming this obstacle requires deliberate effort, as these bonds don't always form naturally from a distance.
You need to make a conscious effort. It won’t always happen organically
The key to making closer connections to your coworkers is consistent positivity. Not toxic positivity that feels disingenuous (again…I refer you to r/LinkedInLunatics) but consistently bringing energy to the table and not being a Debbie Downer.
Be vulnerable. Let yourself show on occasion to your co-workers.
Conclusion
At SXSW, Dr. Laurie Santos's talk was a game-changer, transforming an accidental choice into a deep dive into how we can be happier at work. Her advice isn't just about feeling good; it's about making our workplaces and our lives better, more productive, and more fulfilling.
Her tips hit home: deal with the bad vibes smartly, rethink what being productive really means, be kinder to yourself, find deeper meaning in your job, and make friends at work. It sounds simple, but these steps could seriously change the game for how we feel from 9 to 5.
Ending this piece, let's take Dr. Santos's SXSW wisdom and run with it. Happiness at work isn't a nice-to-have; it's essential, doable, and transformative. By trying out her tips, we're not just chasing personal bliss; we're part of a bigger movement toward workplaces where everyone's psyched to be there. So, let's shake things up and make our work lives not just bearable but awesome.
Join The Spatial Explores Community
Join The Spatial Explorers, a dynamic community for artists and enthusiasts passionate about immersive storytelling. We specialize in creating 3D content for headsets like Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro. This is a space for collaboration, learning, and growth in the realm of augmented reality. Dive into the future of immersive storytelling with us!!
3D News of the Week
Adobe Substance 3D’s AI features can turn text into backgrounds and textures - The Verge
Virtual Try-on Concept in the Apple Vision Pro - Twitter
So, how do you winterize a film? - Before and Afters
Starship Home uses mixed reality to make your living room an intergalactic greenhouse - The Verge
3D Merch is here!
Click here to Get Your 3D Artist Swag!
3D Tutorials
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
Check Out The New Wednesday Artist Spotlight Email!
Want to be featured!?!?! Submit your work here
Hello! Michael Tanzillo here. I am the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, I am the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging. I also created The3DArtist.Community and this newsletter.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel
Thanks for reading The 3D Artist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. All views and opinions are my own!