How do you celebrate?

As a design team, how do you choose to celebrate your successes, birthdays, milestones, your mid-year KPI or quarterly team events? I have noticed a lot of work events center around the idea of going to lunch or having some after-work drinks. I've noticed that many of these occasions revolve around the idea of going out to lunch or having drinks after work. While these activities do contribute to a sense of team spirit, in my experience, I enjoy walking a different path. I understand that we all have diverse interests, but as creatives, we possess a unique advantage. We have chosen this field because we recognize and embrace our innate creativity. To sustain our inspiration as a creative team, we must actively nurture and draw from various sources of creativity.

As a lead, spending extra time to find unconventional and innovative team events and celebrate those moments goes a long way. I view these occasions as rewards for our collaborative efforts and an opportunity to derive creative inspiration from new sources, finding beauty beyond pixels.

Consequently, we opt for celebrations that genuinely inspire us, aligning with the essence of our creative team. Allow me to share some ideas to ignite your imagination:

• Hand-building with clay

• Watercolour painting

• Graffiti lessons

• Sign painting workshop

• Calligraphy

• Robot building

• Glass printing

• Sourdough bread making

• Glass blowing

• Wood working

• Mosaic workshop

• Leather working

• Paper craft

• Coffee roasting

• Photography

• Bushcraft workshops

What I find particularly impactful about these activities is that they often offer new and thrilling experiences, precisely what designers thrive on. As designers who have honed our digital skills over the years, we sometimes forget what it feels like to be a beginner in something. Engaging in these types of endeavors gently reminds us of that and fosters empathy for designers earlier in their careers. We easily overlook the joy of experimenting without the safety net of a backspace button, engaging in activities that don't allow for that habit. This challenges our minds in entirely new ways. This challenges our minds in entirely new ways. While we routinely try things out on our computers, those trials are fleeting and easily undone with a simple Ctrl+Z. Venturing into environments that ignite our senses reconnects us with our creative roots, offering fresh perspectives and ideas. What a delightful treat! These novel experiences bring out the beginner's mindset in designers and stimulate their creativity in unique ways.

This is how I encourage my design team to celebrate and how I cultivate fresh ways of thinking. Let us celebrate by venturing out and inspiring one another through artistic activities that spark the creative energy we need to excel at our work each day. I have observed that the bonds and memories forged in these environments far surpass the lunches and drinks we could have had.

Embrace these opportunities to ignite something entirely new within the team and celebrate the fact that we are creatives, recognising and appreciating this quality in each other. We possess something remarkable that not everyone else in the company does: a deep appreciation for and ability to thrive on creative experiences. Celebrate that!