Creativity In The Workplace

Creativity In The Workplace

In Blogging, Creative by Siobhan Findlay

Look, we get it. Being at work is not the same as sitting on an island looking at an easel and painting a watercolor of the beach. Before you zone off into a daydream about that what colors you want to put into your island painting, remember that you can be creative at work, too! I know, you were hoping this blog post was going to be about winning an all expenses paid vacation… but hear me out.

We’re going to talk about how easy and fun it can be to use your creativity in the workplace. Here are some tips on getting those creative juices flowing:

1. Switch it up

Switch what up, exactly? Anything you want. Having the exact same routine every day becomes easy to forget that it’s possible to do things differently and more creatively. Has your desk been arranged the same way for quite some time now? Move everything! Or maybe you take the same path to go fill your water bottle up every day, and you could take an entirely different direction today. Making very small changes to your daily routine can help you feel more open to change and creative thinking at work.

2. Designated meetings for creativity

Many companies have meetings to discuss overall weekly progress, so why not have a meeting to discuss creativity? It can get employees to broaden their mindsets and would also give everyone a chance to have a little fun. This could involve bringing in props, or using every day items to make new things. It could just be a meeting where everyone presents 3 innovative ideas they thought of that week. Just like every other part of a business, if you want creativity to improve it needs to have time and energy invested in it.

3. Diversity

“Groups of diverse people acting independently are smarter than any one person in the group.” If you want to read more about this concept, there is a great article found at https://sivers.org/book/WisdomOfCrowds.

This concept discusses the power of diversity in groups, and this can be applied to work as well. Creating a team of people with different skill sets and areas of expertise can foster creativity.

4. Rewarding creativity and innovation

If you are in a management role at a company, then giving positive feedback for new and different ideas can lead to it happening more often. This can also involve encouraging others to take risks and stretch how far they can go.

At Michigan Creative, we strive everyday for members of our team to be creative and try new ideas! If you are looking for inspiration for how to incorporate creativity into projects and the every day work environment check out www.michigancreative.com to learn more about our creative office culture!

– Siobhan Findlay