Take a Creative Corporate Brain Break

Most corporate people I’ve been chatting with lately mention that being creative is on the back, back burner of their time- crunched lives. They’ve been hustling to figure out the work-from-home thing, child care, workouts, and then everything else that you have to get done to just survive in some orderly fashion.

For years, I’ve had the privilege of helping burned-out professional women take a break from their usual day-to-day schedule to spend some time doing something creative. I’ve been hosting 3 Day Upholstery Bootcamps for over twelve years and there’s been a common theme throughout those years. Our brains need a break every now and then. And a creative break is one of the most beneficial breaks.

Many women say that cooking is their creative outlet. I don’t deny that cooking is creative. But, being the maker that I am, I’m always promoting the idea of creating something tangible that lasts beyond a few hours. Using materials, learning how to use some new tools, and making things is the trifecta of beneficial making. Also, you get the reminder of what you can design, accomplish and create.  There’s something very satisfying about seeing something you made sitting over there on the end table, or hanging on the wall. It can be downright thrilling, at times.

Before Covid, I was doing corporate team bonding events at my shop, as well as on location. Employees could put all work aside and simply enjoy the process and community of creating a project that didn’t have any strict outcomes. I showed them what the project was, but they were able to make their own creative decisions all the way through it. It was fascinating to observe how joyful these events were. I was also delighted to watch participants shift into creative, almost artist mindsets, once they understood what the projects were.  Whether on-site at their offices, or in the HomeRoom workshop, I set up an organized and equipped space so they could give their brain a break and just shift over to creative mode.  Additionally, I find it extremely rewarding to facilitate these much needed breaks from a high tech, overly scheduled life. As I mention often, humans are designed to design, make and build useful things. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.