Neal Schuler, VP, Creative Director
This morning I mentioned to my wife Janet that I was writing a post for our blog. She said, “You know, today is the summer solstice, a beautiful, long summer day. Time to kick back and enjoy the peak of the season. Take a break, relax… put an umbrella in your drink! You should write about that.” I immediately thought… You’ve got to be kidding, this is serious creative agency business. There’s no time to chill, we have to think about selling, brand building, response, conversion… What good is a nice day when you need to address all that stuff?
I settled into my office, looked out at the trees and sky and thought… Maybe nice days DO matter. Here’s why: The juxtaposition of the outdoors with the work at hand creates a unique perspective. Like looking up at the stars and realizing how insignificant you are can be weirdly comforting. Taking the time to experience the beautiful day in this case, along with the daily tasks, creates a healthy balance that ultimately turns out to be productive and more creative.
One of my mentors, Estin Kiger, used to refer to a process called “soft thinking.” This is where you take in data, understand the objective and identify challenges. Once you’ve mentally briefed yourself, you take the most important step: do nothing! That’s right, take a chill pill. Let it soak. Your subconscious will go to work on it. My Type A personality needs to know; how do you juice up the subconscious to get to work? This is my favorite part: just RELAX!
It’s no coincidence that when you’re waking up in the morning or falling asleep at night, you often experience novel thinking. It’s because when your brain is in the alpha state, creativity is boosted. It can happen when you’re in the shower, taking a hike or having a beer at the end of the day. There’s tons of data on this. That said, we often fall back into trying to force good ideas and creative solutions. It’s especially tough in a corporate setting where schedules and budgets often dictate. Note to corporate managers: You can’t tell your creative team to HURRY, RELAX!
Dr. Flavio Frohlich, assistant professor of psychiatry, cell biology and biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina wrote, “Research has shown that highly creative people tend to exhibit more alpha activity and the new findings suggest these alpha waves may indeed be a critical part of the creative process.”
And in his book “How Creativity Works,” Jonah Lehrer wrote, “So when you hit the wall, the best thing you can do is probably take a very long, warm shower. The answer will only arrive once you stop looking for it.”
I’ve spent years arguing that the creative department is different than say, the payroll department or HR. This is usually met with eye-rolling and jokes about meditation or accusations of coddling. I mean, is creating a budget line item for massages unreasonable? I think not! But seriously, creative folks DO need to relax to access their best ideas. You can’t “just put in some late nights and crank it out.” Well, that can work sometimes, but it’s not a sustainable formula.
I recognize the stigma around some creative agencies. You know, the offices with basketball and tennis courts. And the bring-your-dog-to-work places with staff chefs (for the dogs, too?). The quest to relax your team can swing in some goofy ways. I once saw an article about an ad agency that turned a VW micro bus into a conference room. Personally, I think getting in and out of that thing would be stressful. However, keeping creatives loose, positive and relaxed is smart. It’s science.
So here’s my advice: Take this beautiful day and make hay. Take a walk, stop and smell the flowers, make yourself a Mojito. It’s okay, RELAX, your subconscious is on it!
Here are a few practical ways to encourage healthy, effective, kick-ass creative work:
- Create an aesthetically pleasing work environment. Windows and/or natural lighting are important. The less office-y the better.
- Offer a flexible work schedule. Not everyone rolls the same way. Creative energy comes and goes at different times for everyone.
- Schedule adequate time for creative development. Build “soak time” into the schedule.
- Encourage breaks from screen time. Incentivize your team to get outside during the work day. Reward the number of steps they get in.
- Hire smart, motivated people and trust them to deliver.
- Don’t push. You can’t force good creative work. Standing over your team’s shoulder looking at your watch doesn’t help.
Okay, time for a quick walk, a little fresh air, then back at it.
Interested in talking about more ways to develop kick-ass creative work? Email at neals@jschmid.com or call 913-236-8988 to chat.
Tags: creative process, neal schuler, Strategy, work environment