Well-Being and Creative Careers
What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick
9781835951927
9781835951934
Distributed for Intellect Ltd
Well-Being and Creative Careers
What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick
The creative industry’s best-kept secret? Burnout is part of the business model.
The media and creative industries thrive on passion, but that passion often comes at a cost. Behind the glamour of journalism, filmmaking, games, music, advertising, and online content creation lies a growing crisis—one of burnout, anxiety, substance abuse, and exhaustion. Why do so many creative professionals report feeling both deeply fulfilled and profoundly unwell?
Mark Deuze investigates the systemic issues that make creative work both exhilarating and unsustainable. Drawing on extensive research and in-depth interviews with media professionals, he notes the hidden downsides of doing what you love and offers a candid analysis of how workplace structures, high workloads, and perceived injustices contribute to mental and physical distress.
But this book is not just about what’s broken; it’s about what can be done. Deuze provides a roadmap for rethinking the culture of creative industries and offers strategies for balancing passion with sustainability. A practical resource for media scholars and those navigating the highs and lows of a creative career, this work challenges us to imagine a healthier future for our labor of love.
The media and creative industries thrive on passion, but that passion often comes at a cost. Behind the glamour of journalism, filmmaking, games, music, advertising, and online content creation lies a growing crisis—one of burnout, anxiety, substance abuse, and exhaustion. Why do so many creative professionals report feeling both deeply fulfilled and profoundly unwell?
Mark Deuze investigates the systemic issues that make creative work both exhilarating and unsustainable. Drawing on extensive research and in-depth interviews with media professionals, he notes the hidden downsides of doing what you love and offers a candid analysis of how workplace structures, high workloads, and perceived injustices contribute to mental and physical distress.
But this book is not just about what’s broken; it’s about what can be done. Deuze provides a roadmap for rethinking the culture of creative industries and offers strategies for balancing passion with sustainability. A practical resource for media scholars and those navigating the highs and lows of a creative career, this work challenges us to imagine a healthier future for our labor of love.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Pleasures and Paradoxes of Creative Careers
Chapter 2: Defining Health and Well-Being in Media Work
Chapter 3: A History of Doing What You Love
Chapter 4: So, What and Why Now?
Chapter 5: Mapping the Health and Well-Being Crisis in Media Work
Chapter 6: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick
Chapter 7: Finding Happiness and Joy in Media Work
Conclusion
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