Creativity & Well-Being: Shifting the Way We Think About Work
Alice Katter for Working Not Working
Before continuing, we encourage you to first read Part 1 on Fostering a Culture of Well-Being and Part 2 on Combatting Collective Loneliness.
The Impact of Creative Fulfillment On Our Mental Well-Being
Based on a survey Working Not Working conducted last year, we found out that “Creative Fulfillment” had a huge impact on people’s anxiety or depression (73%). This made me think about “workism,” the role work plays in our lives, and how our mental health and well-being are affected by it. .
Visuals by Kayla Homenok
Our Work (-ism) Society
We live in a time where boomers and millennials especially have embraced the “hustle culture,” and “busy” has become our default response for answering how we are doing. In The Atlantic article “Workism is Making Americans Miserable,” Derek Thompson describes “The Gospel of Work” or what he calls “workism”: “the belief that work is not only necessary to economic production, but also the centerpiece of one’s identity and life’s purpose; and the belief that any policy to promote human welfare must always encourage more work.”
However, these mantras lead to mental and physical exhaustion in the long run. The culture of overwork has brought many of us to a point where burnout is becoming very real and to a point of defining our full identity and sense of self by what we have achieved in our work or careers.
Psychologists use the term “enmeshment” to describe a situation where the boundaries between people become blurred, and individual identities lose importance. Enmeshment prevents the development of a stable, independent sense of self. (Source HBR)
“Especially as creatives, the pressure of performing and the challenge of stepping away from work—physically as well as mentally—are very real, as we are constantly getting valued by the output and the services we deliver every day.”
The Role of Work for Creatives
Especially as creatives, the pressure of performing and the challenge of stepping away from work—physically as well as mentally—are very real, as we are constantly getting valued by the output and the services we deliver every day.
With that, it gets harder to define the boundaries as to what work means to us, or when to stop working. It’s easy to let work take over our time and get stuck at our desks, thinking we are way too busy to take a break or do anything outside of work. But spending all our time in front of our laptops does leave its burden on our mental and physical wellbeing. And it doesn’t help us be more creative either.
To challenge this concept, we need to develop the ability to change our perspectives and focus on how we think about work, as well as the role we attribute to it. We need to step away from forming our identities based on our occupation, career growth, and the output we produce.
Instead, we need to take time for ourselves, for letting our minds wander and reflect on our relationship with work. We need to reorient ourselves and figure out what we want to be contributing to in life, and determine how that can fit into our work.
And guess what, your clients might even be thankful for it: As mentioned in Wired to Create, research shows that people who set aside a special time and place in their lives for introspection, contemplation, and pondering—for instance waking up with the sunrise to write in the quiet of the early hours, or meditating—also score higher on measures of creative potential. By contrast, those who are more motivated to develop a final product tend to score lower in creative potential and intrinsic motivation.
“Research shows that people who set aside a special time and place in their lives for introspection, contemplation, and pondering also score higher on measures of creative potential. By contrast, those who are more motivated to develop a final product tend to score lower in creative potential and intrinsic motivation.”
Strategies to Find a Better Balance
Here are a few strategies to find a better balance and rethink our relationships with work and one another, suggested from Life and Career Coach Christina Kasiraja-Lebrun.
Focus on the present.
Making a conscious effort to take in your current surroundings, thoughts, and emotions, rather than becoming stuck in the past or future, may contribute to spontaneity and a greater sense of peace.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
There is no comparison—we always perceive that there's someone better than us, but there shouldn't be any comparison. We are all individuals doing things at our own pace.
When you find yourself comparing you to someone who is seemingly more accomplished, think about a project you’re working on and compare yourself six months ago with where you are today.
Check in on your relationship with yourself.
We have to recognize when our relationship with ourselves is productive and when it’s become overly critical.
Watch what you say to yourself when you’re facing a stressful situation—is it positive, is it kind, is it negative?
If it’s negative, switch it up and be gentle with yourself. We do deserve to be taken care of by ourselves. Think about whether you would talk to your loved ones or family members like that. Treat and speak to yourself the same way you would fellow human beings. Be good to yourself, watch that voice in your head, and make sure it’s kind.
Live beyond yourself.
While knowing yourself is one key to self-actualization, so is the ability to focus on things beyond yourself. Focusing on empathy and compassion for others and finding something to be grateful for every day are a couple of ways to start. A great way to start is by adding a gratitude ritual into your day.
Take it easy!
Once you’ve reflected on these themes, start by redesigning your day, focusing less on work, but also more on play. You can start a new activity outside of work. For instance try out some hobbies you loved as a child or that you had an eye on for a while. Just start exploring different things you might want to add into your life and your identity.
Further Reading
Workism Is Making Americans Miserable
Alice Katter is a curious optimist who uses strategic design to create culture, company, and community platforms centered around the art of slowing down, creativity, and well-being.
Throughout the past 10 years, Alice has developed strategies, designed programs and creative solutions, implemented her frameworks with organizations such as Dropbox, Working Not Working, Pattern Brands, and SubRosa, and shared her thinking on platforms and communities like SuperHi, 99u, General Assembly, Freelance Founders, and Ladies Wine & Design.
She is also the creator of out of office - a monthly newsletter and thought-platform, exploring ideas and offering tools and resources to reimagine our working lives and culture.
Visuals by Kayla Homenok