the bliss project

There is something magical about children: they are pure and completely themselves, they look at the world with curious and loving eyes and they think free of rules, frameworks and expectations. A wonderful open-mindedness that often disappears as they get older.

In a time when a lot of emphasis is placed on performance, ambition and perfection, this is not strange, but we think it is a shame. Many choices are made based on what offers certainty, what 'should' or what your environment expects from you. Study choices are based on a good job guarantee (go to university anyway, because then you have that diploma in your pocket anyway) and in the sometimes hardened culture of opinion it can be difficult to go in a different direction than the usual route. This is also reflected at a younger age, namely that children are mainly rewarded for good grades, good (sports) performance and good behaviour.

In this fairly rationalized society, there is sometimes so little room left for just be…