I became a scientist to cure people and wrote poetry to heal myself. The Whisper
Can art heal business? And should we expect that? Art making and practicing provides an individual experience that can have positive effects on our overall well-being. The arts reduce stress and increase social engagement as well as provide opportunities for self-expression. However, we cannot heal the world of art (the world of business or ourselves) by extracting value and meaning from it.
The creative impulse is fundamental to the experience of being human. And that is all we need to know! No business case required. No return of investment. We observe an over-increasing addiction to seeking for purpose and consequently an hyper dependence on tools (that serve a purpose). Loosing attention, care, interest for what seems to be not purposeful, useful or exploitable to serve a "grandiose purpose".
“This addiction to finding a reason, a function, a quantifiable yield, has now infiltrated all aspects of our lives” - J. Fowles
There is the need for a radical culture change: change in conventional thinking leading to change in conventional practices. We cannot connect to art (Nature, yoga, mindfulness... an endless list) as therapy so we can use it (over and over again) for our benefit and personal yield.
We cannot heal our sick and broken relationship with the arts by applying to them the supremacy of productivity and logos.
I invite you to challenge the myths and practices of your workplace. It is the opportunity to re-connect with the sacred heart of being (human and humane). If you could create, work and connect like an artist, what would you do and how dynamic and resilient your organisation/life would become?
I am not providing you with any list of data supporting this invitation, not only because you can just google it by yourself but, especially to challenge all of us to move from an exploitative mindset, from a merely process and data proven orientation to a more caring and respectful way of being. One that is centred around our needs to self- express, contribute, belong and, that provides expanded awareness and access to the re-generative power of creativity.
The well-being of a nation, a society, an organisation reflects the individual, collective and cumulative influences, experiences, challenges and journeys. It requires us to go deeper and discover the artist within each and every one of us. It is not only about what we create (artistically or not), it is about who we become (over and over again) while creating. The journey is going to be messy: the practice of exploring and expressing who we are in dialogue with the world is a Messy Art (that is why I created Messy Art https://rnewb.com/messy-art-artworks).
If you’re interested in learning more about RNEWB services and would like to discuss any consultancy, workshops, and talks, drop us a line at fateme@rnewb.com.
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