I saw a tweet recently pointing fun at that classic ‘forced creativity’ teams are sometimes made to do; locked up in an ill-lit office for four hours, perhaps a paid-for light lunch or a packet of biscuits, told to come up with the ‘best ideas you’ve ever had’ for [insert campaign/launch/crisis here].
Sometimes progress is made that way, most likely it’s a little while after, when people have had time to sit with some of the ideas and a moment of clarity comes to them. What’s worse than that forced creative time in an unforgiving office room I hear you ask? ALL OF LOCKDOWN. Well, maybe.
I could have ended the blog right there! But Comms don’t quit…
by Rebecca Roberts
So, I’ve unpacked why this current hiatus risks some of the creative thinking that a typical break from the norm could offer and also why we should go easy on ourselves if we’re not at our creative best.
Overall wellbeing and headspace: I think this is the obvious one. Some days we just need to sit with some sadness or worry. Missing people, worrying about those around us, the future, work etc. I won’t go on, we know it. But this mentality isn’t ‘light’ and it certainly can add pressure in coming up with some new thinking.
Whilst we may not have an abundance of time for reflection and introspection, it’s an interesting time to think about what’s important. I found this in the Psychologist on how to keep our sense of meaning during lockdown quite interesting.
Do your job, but with some extras: Has the communications penny finally dropped? Organisations’ sudden realisation that social media is a key channel, internal comms to staff is vital, public profile on key issues is paramount, all seem to be awakening like one massive comms-is-actually-important punch in the face.
So many teams I speak with are now trying to manage business as usual, crisis comms, digitisation of content and a heightened senior interest in everything they’re able to offer. If ever there was a time for that I-told-you-we-needed-investment conversation, now may just be that time. But back to creativity – there just is a lack of time for it given the shifting expectations, however the conversation and value around what communications can offer is developing… we just need to keep awake to be part of it.
There’s an interesting blog post here on the future of comms and how those organisations who invested more into it have faired better during the pandemic.
Work from home – and also maybe teach: Because I do usually work from home a fair bit, I think it’s important to say that this situation is not like ‘normal’ working from home. Sharing your space with other people and unable to freely work out of a coffee shop, switch rooms or feel like home is a choice of a work space… is no longer the case. The risk of working from home a lot is the inability to switch off and feel relaxed when you finish – which is why the different spaces part is important. Everyone now has work-life and home-life merged- it’s messy.
I won’t labour on the teaching part too much but all I’ll say is; I didn’t train for it, I can’t achieve the volume of snacks and patience required and I feel like the rules of learning were changed and googling the ‘new way’ English and maths is apparently done is a daily ritual. What I do know is that for many, many people, they’re having to work and deliver some teaching in an already busy day – it leaves little space and time for creativity. Although, I did make a pandora’s box as part of an English lesson last week with my youngest and his imagination was off-the-chart – not least in terms of what I was creatively able to achieve!
Work life balance tips during lockdown
‘Unprecedented’ creativity required: Given the change and challenge we’ve been through and for many of us are up against for the coming months, the level of creativity and change to ‘fix’ some things seems insurmountable doesn’t it? The pace of change, the solutions to adapting to a ‘life under the curve’ and in many cases pivoting into totally new realms in order to achieve things. It’s almost intimidating. That kind of thinking is hard, it’s draining and also no matter how many zoom calls we do, we’re in a lonelier spot work wise.
Campaign talked to four creatives about the demand for creative advertising and how teams are adapting to support brands.
Battling boredom: whether you’re furloughed, searching for a job or have seen work load diminish, there is a good chance you’re finding boredom one of the biggest challenges in lockdown. Being busy with work (whilst not always feeling like it!) can be a way to keep your mind busy and feel like you’re doing something… or at least continuing to earn during a really rocky time. Whilst the banana bread baking, language learning and online courses may still be coming in thick and fast, have you unwittingly developed habits that are stifling creative thinking?
There’s a lot of pressure to ‘do more’ if you’re not currently working but without direction and routine this is easier said than done. An article in the ft that argues boredom may actually be critical to creativity.
So, if you’ve read this far apologies if you hoped there was a magic solution to creativity during lockdown! But as with that dimly lit office room and moment of clarity when you’re driving home, this is a reminder that creativity often comes when we’re able to take a moment to ourselves. Get that walk in, a few minutes away from the emails and snack dependent offspring or annoying home working colleague (!) and hopefully inspiration may grab you.
But despite all of this, Comms don’t quit and we each find our ways through even the most pressured of crisis.
Rebecca Roberts is founder of Thread & Fable
