Feeling your workmates -and yourself- could really use a fun, art-based team building activity halfway through this crazy year? We bet your boss would agree! Painting for fun with your colleagues or, even better, painting your colleagues (read more below) is a neutral, stress-free activity with many benefits.
Generally, most of us think that we are really bad at painting, or any art-based activity for that matter. This proves that art is a great equalizer. Everyone starts with low expectations which creates a relaxed and open mindset where everything and anything is possible. The truth is that, most of the participants in our art classes, end up pleasantly surprised with their paintings.
So, there are very positive benefits to exploring your creative self while sharing the experience with your fellow colleagues. Here are 5 of the most important ones which your boss will be very much interested in:
1. Promotes creative problem-solving
“According to research, doing art helps you solve problems by expanding your mind and opening you to different perspectives and creative solutions.” […] “Creating art can inspire you to bring new ideas to the table at work, to challenge the status quo, and to suggest different ways of doing things. This will benefit not only your own career but also the entire company”.
Source: 4 Ways That Getting Creative Can Boost Your Career
Art stimulates multiple parts of your brain. It involves constant decision-making to reach the end result the way you are picturing it in your mind. From the distribution of elements in the canvas to choice of colour, you are constantly looking for solutions to reach your goal.
2. Expands your horizons and revitalises your creativity
An art-based team building activity encourages you to challenge and nurture your creative spirit and expand your ability to contribute to your workplace.
By contemplating all the possibilities of a blank canvas, you immediately put your mind to work and start thinking in unconventional ways. This mindset can easily extrapolate to the workplace. You start exploring all the possibilities and creating scenarios that you probably wouldn’t consider otherwise.
“It’s easy to come up with the same rote concepts for a project or a new campaign, especially if you’ve used them before. But when you start thinking creatively and getting a little daring, you may be surprised at what your brain can come up with. It’s this “throw everything to the wall and see what sticks” method that creative thinkers truly shine at”.
Source: The Importance of Creativity in the Workplace
3. Reboots curiosity
Art-making naturally sparks curiosity about the realm of possibilities of a blank canvas and the exploration of your own abilities and your team’s.
“When a person feels curious, it launches a chain of events. It first activates the pleasure center of the brain, which, in turn, activates the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories. Thus, the learner feels pleasure due to stimulating the pleasure center, and retains the learning better due to the hippocampus embedding the learning more firmly in the brain.
It should be no surprise, then, that curious employees feel a greater sense of mastery of their jobs and greater job satisfaction. In fact, a Rackspace survey of employees showed that 85% of respondents that came from what were deemed to be “curiosity-encouraging” employers expressed satisfaction in their jobs, compared to only 45% of respondents that came from “curiosity-discouraging” employers.”
Source: Innovative Businesses Have Curious Employees
4. Reconnects teams in a fun and creative way – Paint your colleague
An art-based team building activity can be both fun and challenging at the same time. ‘Paint your colleague’ is our take on a perfect virtual team building activity.
It can inspire team members – anywhere in Australia – to envision their colleagues from a fresh perspective:
– Two-hour painting workshop via Zoom
– Full painting kit delivered to all participants Australia wide
– They will secretly paint one of their colleagues for the surprising reveal at the end
You’ll be able to enjoy a unique social event and have a laugh with your workmates while working from home.
Inspired? Share with your boss and everyone who might like this idea for their next team building.
We can’t wait to hear your team building success stories!
– Paint for Fun Team
