Creative Reaction

I’ve always wondered about the wisdom of playing music in creative environments. I’ve often thought in terms of group dynamics. Who gets to choose? Is anything off limits? Musical taste can be very personal to some people, and it’s easy for feelings to be hurt. Clearly there are people who say they don’t mind a particular genre to be diplomatic, even though their skin is crawling. This would definitely impact their work.

At other times, however, I’ve thought about how hugely distracting music can be. There are dozens, if not hundreds of pop songs which can completely detour us, especially if they are catchy, sing-along songs. Songs with a visual connection, in particular, can completely distract people by causing people to think of the song’s music video, the movie the song was in, or the Weird Al Yankovic parody video.

Some recent research suggests my concerns were not without merit. While music in general can lift moods, music can impair cognitive thinking.

Should music be played in open offices? Should employees be expected to use headphones to create their own “privacy” in open offices? Is something fundamentally wrong with the design of of workspaces if they impair getting work done? Should employees be made aware of the potential impact of music on their work?

This should give us much to think about.

The ink was barely dry on This Ain’t No Disco – Now in Book Form, when we came across the equally fascinating book, I Wish I Worked There! thanks to Amazon’s suggestive selling robots. I don’t know how I missed this book.

Quoting the book’s Website,

I Wish I Worked There! reveals the world’s most inspiring and innovative places to work, investigating twenty famous brands that place innovation at the heart of their culture.

It’s now on the Wish List. If you get your hands on a copy before we do, be sure to leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Read this opening paragraph from Stand Up While You Read This! in the NYT:

“It doesn’t matter if you go running every morning, or you’re a regular at the gym. If you spend most of the rest of the day sitting — in your car, your office chair, on your sofa at home — you are putting yourself at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and an early death. In other words, irrespective of whether you exercise vigorously, sitting for long periods is bad for you.”

Yikes! Owners and Managers, take note and look after your most important asset – your employees.

Aside from the health benefits of working and standing, there are creative benefits as well. Authors Lewis Carroll, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf all wrote while standing. Film Editor Walter Murch (pictured here) famously edits while standing up, comparing his work to gunslinging, conducting, brain surgery and short-order cooking.

“That’s the reason I stand when I edit — I’m fully engaged in my body.”

So what should we do? Seriously consider giving creatives the opportunity to stand while working. Consider installing standing-height counters, standing desks or desks that move to allow both standing and sitting. Both Anthro and GeekDesk offer models that move from one position to the other.

What else? Make sure employees get up and walk around. Hold meetings outdoors or in ways that involve activity. Other ideas? Add your own in the comments.

Let’s be sure to get off our butts!

We’ve featured This Ain’t No Disco , which showcases creative workspaces and environments from around the world, a handful of times here at CR. We’re such fans, that we even have the site in our sidebar. So we think it’s really cool that writer/blogger Ian McCallam has used his research and photographs to create a book, entitled Where We Work. Can’t wait to check it out!

Back in Summer 2004, NPR’s All Things Considered produced a handful of inspirational interviews with Creatives, focusing on the environments in which they create. Lighting, time of day, colors, textures, tools, and location are all discussed. The interviews are all short enough to enjoy during a lunch break, under thirteen minutes each.

Author/Illustrator James Prosek’s Studio

Spy novelist Daniel Silva’s Workspace

Trumpeter Steven Bernstein’s Jazz Lab

Managers and owners, be sure to design environments that nurture creativity and allow ideas to be executed!

I came across this amazing workplace via The Cool Hunter, though we might as well head straight to the source, architectural firm Clive Wilkinson Architects, which was responsible for the interior design. The photos are inspiring, though be sure to read the project description as well, where we find that the building is designed to encourage collaboration and cross-polination, as well as deter complacency.

The astonishing thing (to me anyways) is that these pictures are not from an advertising agency or a high-profile video game company; they are from an investment bank in Sydney, Australia.

Via The 99%, via Ouno Design, I found a fascinating Scientific American/Mind article which explains the link between Architecture and various type of thinking.

Architects have long intuited that the places we inhabit can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now, … behavioral scientists are giving these hunches an empirical basis. They are unearthing tantalizing clues about how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep students focused and alert, and lead to relaxation and social intimacy.

Of particular note to Creative Businesses, are the following findings:

• Higher ceilings – even the perception of them – promote freer and more abstract thinking
• Rooms with views of nature assist mental focus
• Exposure to sunlight assists learning and boosts cognition
• Dim lighting can foster relaxation and social intimacy
• Furniture arrangement can be used to encourage either independent work or group participation
• Carpeting encourages social interaction

The more I read about the impact of workplace environments on creativity, the more I realize the importance of having a variety of settings within a workspace. Areas to create, to interact spontaneously, to encourage conversation and to perform detail-oriented work are all necessary. Bringing nature and sunlight into our workspaces, even if this means projected images and artificially produced daytime light, also make a positive impact. Perhaps simple changes can be made in our businesses. Perhaps we should encourage certain tasks to be performed outside of the workplace if the conditions are less than ideal. Let’s keep these factors in mind as we guide our teams.

Don the Idea Guy offers 10 Idea Inspiring Lightning Rods, a list of ways to constantly expose your creative self to potentially inspirational ideas.

Though this list is aimed at individuals, it works on a number of levels, and even more powerfully, for creative companies. Many of the ideas can be incorporated into the work environment; others could be used as social activities. Your company could:

• share magazines and paperback books
• arrange lunch hour or after-work museum field trips
• hold book discussions
• have show & tell once a week allowing team members to inspire one another
• play word games as teams
• have a variety of music on hand
• attend lectures
• participate in Pecha-Kucha
• create a Wiki of inspirational ideas and web sites
• take classes together (or even offer them on-site!)

Please add your own ideas in the comments!

It’s such a simple thing, yet we often allow ourselves to get “too busy” to take care of fundamentals such as feeding our souls. Managers, do your part to inspire those around you!

I’m a somewhat passive fan of architecture, mostly through the pages of Wired magazine and my RSS feeds, and I almost didn’t watch this TED video of architect Joshua Prince-Ramus describing the design process of Dallas’ Wyly Theater. And that would have been a shame.

But I did watch the video and I would urge you to do the same, even if you don’t care much for theater or architecture. Watch it to learn from the collaboration process involved. Watch it to think about your approach to your clients. Watch it to shape an inspirational environment for the artists you manage.

Another great TED video. This one by Julian Treasure about the ways (both positive and negative) that environmental sounds affect us, including a shocking statistic on open office noise. Managers and owners should watch this, especially when planning work spaces!

Lessons learned from moving startups to new offices via Lean Startups offers some excellent, practical advice about what to do once you’ve Bulldozed Your Cubicles. It also contains a link to one entrepreneur’s account of a company losing its edge after moving into a comfortable space.

Having an office environment that fosters creativity is a delicate balance. Too few comforts can prevent work from getting done. Too many comforts and you go soft.

(Click on the “environment” tag for numerous posts on this subject.)

Last Spring, Wired Magazine had a pictorial on the evolution of the cubicle farm, offering a glimmer of hope by stating that today’s designers are trying to “part the sea of cubicles and encourage sociability”.

Harvard Business Publishing suggests parting them with a bulldozer.

“Cubicle cultures just don’t work… (they) discourage collaboration, stifle employee engagement and, as a result, strangle innovation at the exact time when it’s desperately needed.”

What does work? An environment offering a combination of private space to get work done and communal spaces for collaboration.

Read both articles for short profiles and office furniture companies offering alternatives.

Who would think that a 128-slide HR presentation could be inspirational? This one  has statements such as, “Imagine if every person at Netflix is someone you respect and learn from”. Try to keep in mind this is a company that is big enough to be publicly traded.

TechCrunch has some great commentary and the embedded slide deck, which can be viewed full-screen.

Managers, set aside some time to scour this Netflix presentation. And be prepared to take notes.

I came across Where I Write in Wired magazine. It is a photo essay by Kyle Cassidy, which documents the creative work spaces of Science Fiction and Fantasy writers. Soon the photos as well as interviews with the authors will be compiled into a book. Where I Write is now in the sidebar (under “Inspiration”) along with On My Desk and This Ain’t No Disco. Check them all out and be inspired!

This article from the Idea Champions archives explains the process of creating a culture of innovation where none yet exists, and aptly chooses the metaphor of clearing brush and planting a garden. As the article states, creating such a culture is simple, yet it’s hard work!