Professionally Unprofessional
Sometimes my job is teaching people how to behave like children again. The trick is not forgetting everything you’ve learned since then.

Being able to relax into ideas is one of the key tenets of creativity that people forget as they become more and more “professional”. Unfortunately, a dichotomy is created where people are either in full-professional work mode or full-relaxed goofing off mode, forgetting that the most productive time is spent being creatively focused. There are many paths to get to a goal, and you have to be open to taking several of them at once, while having the focus to ditch the ones that aren’t working, bringing that knowledge on the path that does.
Much like people forget to breathe when doing exercise, people forget how to be creative when they are working. There has been a backlash against being professional lately, because people become focused on it to the detriment of common sense. There is even a backlash against Malcolm Gladwell, because people are taking his findings as an ultimatum instead of inspiration.
On the other side, people begin to view creativity as unbridled wackiness with no productive value. Companies have retreats to blow off steam and set up cafeterias with wacky uncomfortable furniture, ostensibly to provide places for employees to relax. At best, all this does is pull focus away from creativity that is actually productive. At worst, this creates office wastelands employees are afraid to enter, lest they be labeled a “slacker”.
Don’t be afraid to relax at work. Just because you are in an office doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Tear down cube walls. Bring in movable desks that can be a meeting table, a prototyping station, or whatever you need to get your ideas out into the world as soon as possible. Bring in things that actually inspire you, and display them prominently. Be your own cheerleader, doing what it takes to make sure the work you do engages you and makes you want to create the best possible solutions.
Because if you don’t do it, there are some brightly colored hand-shaped chairs they are waiting to bring in that are sure to inspire you.




