How many of us actually pause to take in the world around us? We’ve become so busy day-to-day it’s easy to rush on by most of the time. You can probably recall a memory of looking a tiny detail of a flower or a leaf and seeing a profusion of colours, shapes and contours.
Examining nature through new eyes is an interesting exercise we can translate to our work environments. Getting away from the old and trusted ways of working can be difficult as habits are formed and patterns of behaviours become set. Yet starting with a simple observation exercise can cause positive disruption and creative thinking. I once saw a theatre production of Salome in slow motion. It was bizarre at first, disruptive and awkward to watch, but after fifteen minutes I found my brain bending to this new rhythm and enjoyed the weirdness.
I have been lucky enough to be at a Reimagine gathering, where I joined in a workshop part-facilitated by Flavio Fabiani from Knowmads. He started by talking about corals. He said his daughter loves them and draws them. He drew us deeper in, slowed us down, and invited us to look at a picture of a coral in mindful detail and showed how these patterns are apparent in our everyday lives.
Artists, architects and musicians take inspiration from what they see, hear and feel, and we can easily embed this way of being into our work environments and ways of working. In my workshops and courses, as design-thinkers, you’ll find yourself re-framing and re-imagining contexts from multiple perspectives.
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