Recently we shared the importance of having white space or margin in our lives to be still, to honor and communicate with God, and then to be more effective in our work as a result.

I want to put an exclamation point (I might even bold, underline and italicize too!) on these thoughts if you manage or work with graphic artists or other creative personalities or if you are one of these great artistic folks!

I’ve learned that to energize the best creative work …

Over time I’ve learned that to energize the best creative work, wait for it ... creative people must have regular “play” time to feed their creative spirit!

Why? It's hard to schedule time to be inspired and creative on demand throughout a regular work day. This demand is draining. Artists need to refuel by discovering new things and viewing the world from a new perspective.  

What might this time look like? It might be an afternoon at an art gallery. Taking a pottery class. Going horseback riding. Visiting a children’s museum. Walking downtown to window shop and appreciate the architecture.

Just time. No agenda. Little, if any, structure.

Now for you serious, structured types (that can be me too!): this “play” will seem unproductive and frivolous. It’s not! It’s an incredible way to help your creative folks stay fresh and focused their other working hours.

And while this “play” time will look a little different for every team given their work demands, schedules and resources, I encourage you to start planning it. Start small if you have to. Even once or twice a year could be a great beginning. Once a quarter or even once a month and you may get your creative socks blown off! Try it, and let us know how it goes.