Why is working from home so important in the creative industry?

Why is working from home so important in the creative industry?

RemoteWorking

This week, founder and Creative Director Neil chats remote working (in his pyjamas)

Like a lot of agencies, Spark can sometimes feel like a conveyor belt of delivering projects. It means you set foot through the door of the office on a Monday morning and start working at a pace of 100mph. And this pace doesn’t stop until end of play on a Friday.

We love it, though, and that’s why we do it. The adrenaline kick is what keeps you going through the week until you crash at the weekend, happy but knackered.   

That said, you have to stop at some point. That fast pace can get to you and you can become numb to what’s happening around you.

Spark introduced working from home a couple of years ago when we realised that just one day a week can give you clarity and a different perspective on things, making you much more productive in your days in the agency. When you’re knee deep in the trenches, sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees and taking that time to get your head above the clouds and look at work from a different angle is exactly what’s needed.   

My work-from-home day usually starts with a slight lie-in. I feed the pup and walk to the cafe for breakfast; check my emails and get ready for the day ahead. All at a lovely, leisurely pace.

If the sun’s shining, it’s a bonus but if not, it doesn’t matter. My home office is the perfect setting to get a day’s strategy in; creative thinking and problem solving are completed well within working hours. It’s amazing how much you can get done. And how easy and peaceful it is! Maybe it’s me… getting ever closer to the big 40… but that time to think in my own surroundings brings out the best in me.

  • My team sees the benefits
  • The business sees the benefits
  • And my ideas flow a lot more easily too

Using Skype and having regular phone call catch ups make it a seamless way of working, and the ability to take 10 and just go for a walk to clear your head is an amazing feeling.

From mid-level to director-level, I highly recommend you allow your team to experiment with this. The more you can show that you trust them to get their work done wherever, the more productive they will be.

I love collaborating with my amazing team and our partners but that precious time away from the studio makes my week in the studio 10 times more enjoyable. It makes me feel productive and inspired.

Time to start doing your homework, girls and boys.