In this line of work, it really feels like creativity is a way of life, not just a skill you have or a thought process you must endure. Being creative consultants for a wide array of clients requires flexible thinking, curiosity, critical analysis, and understanding the market. These skills are all a part of the lifestyle of becoming a creative person who takes everything around them and can draw connections that others may not, be able to adapt quickly based on new developments, and be able to dream in ways that others may not dare.
It’s really cool to be in such an environment that nurtures you to think in so many different ways. I always knew the learning curve would be steep, but only now do I really get to appreciate what it is like. I remember when I was still back in LA, trying to ask questions about how things work over here. Perhaps I never got any fully satisfactory answers because it boils down to the story of my life: it’s complicated. In fact, on a day to day basis different challenges arise, from clients who are requesting more thoughts from us to coworkers who are getting sick (and infecting the lot of us). I find that even in my way of dealing with something like avoiding the flu or cold, there is leeway to be creative in my own right (aka the types of new things I try out to prevent from getting sick).
I really enjoy living and breathing creativity like this. It could be just in how I choose to organize my ideas one day or it could be in how I decide to manage my time. Everything I do allows me the freedom to think critically about what would work best in that circumstance, with my type of personality and preferences. So much thinking also requires a lot of time away from the issues, to let them incubate before I come back to developing them. I really wish I had some sort of mindless work to do in between major thinking sessions, like updating the website or sketching/molding random images that could be a new mascot. I think I wouldn’t even mind handling some number problems, now that my life is consumed with words!
Recently I’ve been reading Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner (my interest in his thoughts began back in middle school) and I’m at the chapter where he talks about creativity. He mentions some companies that have taken unconventional approaches and also mentioned skunkworks a few times, which really captured my attention. Throughout the rest of the day, I found my mind wandering to how I can run a company that fosters creativity.
Things I have considered are no designated work hours, time off each week for a personal development activity of your choice (whether it’s crocheting or taking a class), no dress code, customized work spaces (You want toys? Ok! You want a beanbag for a chair? Sure. You want a clear desk? Alright!), and pretty much just more flexibility all around. I would totally get a kick out of themed job titles, so rather than say you are a manager or blah blah blah officer, you’d be something completely arbitrary – Bamboo or Venus Flytrap. Or, alternatively, titles could really just be evolved nicknames, so someone in the office who may love to tidy can be Feather Duster while someone else who sleeps a lot can be Sloth or Zombie or something.
I don’t know if I can ever implement measures like that and still find quality people who won’t use that as an excuse to slack off – “oh, I’m just being creative right now” – you know? But hey, it’s something to look into and consider.
