The William Effect
For 2025, I got a calendar from The Metropolitan Museum of Art that features a different masterpiece from their collection each day. I love art history, so I decided that I would research the featured artwork and write my findings down in a journal. Only three days into this project, I knew I had made one of my finest decisions. The reason? William.
This small, blue hippo is undeniably charming at first glance. That would have been enough for me. As I began to research Mr. William, though, I embarked on an unexpected journey.
During the Egyptian Middle Kingdom period, artisans molded and painted this hippopotamus statuette. He then joined The Met collection in 1917. The name came from a 1931 story in the British humor magazine, Punch (I highly recommend giving it a read; it's beyond delightful).
The name stuck. Nearly 4,000 years after his creation, William remains The Met's beloved unofficial mascot, inspiring countless exhibits and stories, creating a sense of wonder in all who encounter him.
As I spent my Saturday morning journaling about William and sending his glamour shots to my friends, I was stuck with an emotion I sometimes find elusive: joy.
Joy, often confused with happiness, is a unique emotion that “triggers a host of significant physiological and psychological changes that can improve our physical and mental health.”
The adrenaline that joy triggers helps us feel more mentally and physically prepared to take on the trials of life. Joy is a powerful tool.
As a content strategist, I have always kept the advice to “surprise and delight” close to my heart. But with multiple recent studies reporting that almost half of workers surveyed are experiencing burnout, coupled with the seemingly random nature of joy (a very old blue hippo?), how can we tap into that emotion in the workplace?
Harvard Business Review suggests incorporating your strengths into your work day. We feel energized when we work on things we excel at, and that driving force can lead us to a positive mindset where we can tackle the not-so-fun stuff as well.
Forbes writes that “marketing with joy separates your product from the rest on the shelf.” Because joy is such an intense emotion (and keyword!) with transformative benefits, having it associated with your brand creates a strong connection with your audience.
My advice? Show up to work as yourself. If you find something that brings you joy, share it—internally and externally. Make routine communication a little more fun. Change your Slack profile picture. Recognize that every single person you encounter is a human, too.
And then:
Write a newsletter about it.
Written by Aly Raden, Newly Converted Williamist & Digital Communications Strategist at Clique Studios. Subscribe to Open Tabs, Clique's newsletter of reliable inspiration for marketers and makers, for more.