2022. The year that wasn’t supposed to be.
Year 2021 was coming to an end. Two weird years were behind us the likes of which had never been experienced anywhere in the world, let alone in our cosy and safe Nordic countries. In addition to many personal tragedies, the Covid-19 pandemic had hit many businesses hard and its effects were felt at Drama Queen as well. We had been pretty much wandering in a fog and it was difficult to predict far into the future. Even painful decisions were needed to ensure the continuity of our business.
But finally, everything was about to change. Society was opening up and there was an atmosphere of confidence that was reflected in people and businesses alike. 2022 would be a return to a growth path that had been enjoyed for years before the pandemic. What would it be like to work without the extra challenges and worries for tomorrow? It's bound to be much easier than the Covid years. We are ready to go full speed ahead again!
And so we did. After a promising start to the year we were up to a good speed. We met a lot of new potential clients and got a bunch of new work on top of the existing projects. The atmosphere was great. Until.
On the morning of 24th of February I woke up to the news and like many others, my first reaction was a shock. In Ukraine, almost in the heart of Europe, a war had started and the other side is a superpower, a nuclear power and Finland's neighbour, Russia. Naturally, I ran through various scenarios in my mind from World War III and Finland's fate to the safety of my loved ones. Then questions crept into my mind about what all this means for our clients, for us as a company and for the economy of our country as a whole. Just when one crisis had been resolved we found ourselves in the middle of another, potentially a much more serious situation. The recently cleared fog came back even heavier than before.
Crises tend to leave their mark on the future. Our “Covid legacy” was a debate about the relationship between physical and remote working and the consuming habit of scheduling calendars full of meetings without breaks. This poses a real challenge to creative work and the result has been both increased strain and reduced efficiency. Sitting in video meetings instead of actually doing the work you are supposed to do, uncertainty and distance lead to a whole new set of demands, fatigue, and pressure to perform. When you add a new dark cloud of war and fear of the future it is clear that, despite expectations, 2022 has been at least as challenging as the previous crisis years. Unfortunately.
Despite everything, this dark cloud has a silver lining and the past year has not been all uncertainty for Drama Queen. As before, we have dealt with the challenges and adapted to the current situation. Both new and old clients have trusted us and this year we have again been able to be a part of creating successful cases globally, in the Nordic countries and in our home markets of Finland and Sweden.
Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Drama Queens for the perseverance and attitude you have shown. I would also like to thank our great clients for trusting us. In my opinion, we've been worthy of Your trust.
On the eve of a new year it is also good to look into the future. The starting point is not the same as it was a year ago when we looked forward to the coming year with enthusiasm and confidence. However, I believe that with a positive attitude, hard work and confidence towards the future we shall continue even stronger together.
I wish us all a better year 2023!
Matias
