Work as Art :: Art as Sense-Making

Art can be used in various ways to enliven your organization, leveraging art as a metaphor, a catalyst, an inspiration for reflection, an intentional artifact, and even as a way to see and understand your colleagues. This is Part 3 of a series exploring the use of art at work and seeing work as art.

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I have often turned to art when life around me feels large. At these times I can feel overwhelmed and scattered. What reliably grounds me is art – a visit to a museum, watching a performance, writing, a walk in nature’s living art, or creating art of my own. All of these activities release me from my swirl, bring me back to myself, and activate an ability to resource my inner wisdom and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

I experienced this recently when relocating internationally from San Francisco to London. The transition required myriad details, during the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, and at time when travel restrictions and other regulations were changing week to week. Everything felt ambiguous and tenuous but we made it safely and COVID-free. As we emerged from our jet lag, during our required 10-day quarantine, my partner (an architect) and I found our attention turning towards art.

There was a stack of old magazines in our rental flat which became an immediate creative inspiration. My partner threw down the challenge – let’s make collages! He offered an initial theme of “fantastical creatures” and we poured through magazines discovering images we could use to craft something interesting. I was immediately and deeply engaged in the activity. I could feel my entire being slow down and relax as I gave myself over to the creative process. What I produced surprised me, but it was the process of collaging that intrigued me most. It was such an intuitive and almost magical experience, very much like bricolage. I went on to create a dozen more pieces and continue still, pausing to create when I need to make some sense of my world.

I love this kind of creative engagement and bring it into my consulting practice as often as I can. As an example, at the end of 2020 a colleague at the University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizations asked if I would create an exercise for their business school students, something to help them reflect on the year and give thought to the year ahead. Given the complexity and challenges of 2020 I immediately considered art as a generative means to help these students make sense of their experience.

This is the exercise I crafted and guided the group through:

1. In the next minute, grab a random object near you – something that draws your attention or interest, for any reason.
2. Now, on a piece of paper or in your journal draw that object. The goal here is to use drawing to sharpen your attention on the object, not to display artistic skill!
3. On a separate piece of paper, describe the story behind the object — What is it? How did you come by it? What is its utility to you? What details do you notice about it? What is its meaning to you??
4. What if this object were a metaphor to describe your 2020? Write about how it might describe your experience of this past year.
5. What if this object were a metaphor to describe your intentions for the year ahead? What might 2021 look like through the lens of this object? What might the object invite you to consider as intentions or actions?

We began with a moment of silence. I played quiet music during the reflective moments. Between rounds of reflection, we shared in small groups or as a whole group. And we ended with a closing reflection on the session.

Art expands what we can imagine, and thereby expands what we can do.

I had never done anything quite like this, so it was a risk, but one the students seemed to enjoy. They reported appreciation for the space to slow down, the opportunity to ground themselves in creative reflection, and renewed energy for the year ahead. The exercise reminded me of a wisdom shared by my colleague Monica Worline at the Center for Positive Organizations. “Art expands what we can imagine, and thereby expands what we can do.” ?I couldn’t agree more. Exercises like this provide that expansive opportunity.

As we continue to flow with the pandemic, an exercise like this might be useful for your team or organization in the coming months, perhaps as part of a ritual for a return to the office. So many people are feeling stretched and strained to the edge of mental well-being, so taking a moment to pause, get grounded, and expand our imagination might be just the thing employees are needing right now.