When describing the corporate job setting, creative is typically not a word that would be used. Generally, the corporate setting is viewed to be a straight-laced, suit-and-tie regime, void of all things creative and fun. In reality though, taking on and embracing creativity in the workplace has proved to have numerous benefits and values, both for the business and for the team.
As scary and complex as the concept may seem, here are some small, yet powerful ways to integrate creativity into the corporate work setting.
What is your culture? Design for that.
There should be no generalization when it comes to embracing your creative culture; every setting cultivates a different culture. How creative are you able to be? Setting this precedent will allow for you to see growth in the creative department of your setting.
Embrace diversity.
Look around your workplace. What different piece of the puzzle does everyone represent? How can you utilize this? We all, obviously, have different backgrounds and experiences. Each person will therefore bring different ideas and perspectives to the table, which can create the excitement that is needed for the creative process. Think about this when hiring and implementing your team. The more eclectic the staff is, the more out-of-the box thinking will take place in the boardroom. Not to mention, you will have more fun as a team. After all, variety is the spice of life.
Ambience is important.
What is the tone and mood that is being set in your workspace? Is the lighting bright and fluorescent? Are the walls stark white and bare? Think about simple ways that you can change the scenery to better harvest that creative energy. Add a rug, place some inspirational quotes on the wall, or look at adjusting some lights. Make sure that whatever it is, again, is in tune with the tone you want to create.
Collaborate.
The individualistic nature of a corporate setting does not need to define you. Creativity is cultivated when people work together, share ideas and are able to build something. It also allows for ideas to bounce off each other and become something brilliant. Most important, collaboration allows for great strides to be made in regard to team building. It allows for you to have fun and interact with your colleagues on a different level. This is where positive relationships are formed. When you are more comfortable with your surroundings and your colleagues, you are much more likely to relax and allow yourself to unwind: This is where the creative magic will happen.
Add some fun.
It is a proven fact that adding fun to your team meetings increases the productivity rate, engagement and overall happiness of your staff. Make brainstorming fun by incorporating art in some way. Encourage those who are brainstorming to "mind-map," color, paint or draw their ideas to better gather their thoughts and express them in a different, more creative way. This may feel juvenile at first, but it is guaranteed that this will increase creativity and in turn produce better quality work.
Incorporating creativity in the workplace may seem like a bigger feat than it actually is. Learn to love and accept the corporate mindset, there are things that you are not going to be able to change and rules that are set in place for a reason. Move on, take action and you will see change in the creative area—but most important, have fun and challenge your right brain!
Written by Heather Callahan, owner of instructional art studio Brush Studio GR. Brush Studio has a passion for creating a unique and fun destination for their customers, in which they will want to come back again and again. Heather has a customer service-focused background and a degree in Education with a creative arts emphasis. By combining these efforts, Brush Studio hopes you will come away from a class with a positive sense of self that you have accomplished something you never thought possible—a fabulous piece of art for that wall in your house that you have created.
