Most of us spend a big chunk of our lives at work and particularly in the office. It’s not the most existing of places, as many of you might know, there isn’t much that can fulfill the human’s need of stimulation of their senses. Everything is similar looking or just not as exciting. So, what is a great way to not only décor but make the people who work feel great? Artworks. Let’s find it out!
Creating Art
Creating Art has been known to be one of the greatest human abilities, and the ability to appreciate it makes us as a species different from another living beings. Pieces of art are known to convey emotions in the persons who are looking whether it’s sadness, happiness or just feeling calm. All of these qualities are what artwork is known for, it provokes a feeling inside us. So why not just put it the place where people go every day without having anything to gaze upon and just admire?
The purpose of having artworks in your workplace comes down to creating an environment that is aesthetically pleasing and nice to be in. To stimulate people’s brains and eyesight, to make employees feel good. If an employer decided to introduce artwork into the working environment, that just shows that he cares and makes sure that the place his employees work in is pleasing to be in.
But apart from that, art in the office is a great way to incorporate the company’s branding a logos into the design of the workplace. Art can tell stories and that’s a great way of telling someone what your company represents, what it strives for, and what its value is. But keep in mind that different workspaces require different types of artwork. Offices and libraries will have visually contrasting art but the purpose is the same: stimulating the ability to keep up the good work and not overwhelm yourself. Everything can work as artwork, photography, posters, painting, or even simple drawings.
Is It Distracting, And If So, Is It Bad?
One might think that artwork in a workplace is just a way to distract people from their work, what other reaction does a piece of art might cause? You can’t listen to a photograph or a painting, so what other benefits are there? The employees are just getting distracted.
On a contrary to what some people might think, being distracted at work is not always a bad thing. Humans are not robots and can’t have a permanent focus on something at all times. If we don’t let ourselves rest or take our mind off of things it turns into burnout. And when that happens, our ability to work drops tremendously. If your workplace contains something that can distract your mind from a previous task at hand, and this object is a work of art, it can not only boost the productivity of a person but lower the feeling of stress itself. The artwork evokes many feelings in us in different situations, so even a feeling of being at ease is great.
Some Studies
We should not associate distraction with laziness. Some workplaces remove everything that can “distract” their workers from doing their job, making everything look lean, smooth, and in color. What they fail to realize is that the human brain needs something for distraction, and there is no better choice for that than having works of art hung around the workplace. Happy people work better, it’s just the way it is.
Studies made on this topic show that environments that include the form of distractions like artwork are 15% more productive than those with a simple, lean workplace. The conclusion of that study is simple – when you present your workforce with a comfortable and inspirational environment, their productivity only increases. But again, one might ask if the presence of artwork itself is helping to take people’s minds off of things, or is it what that certain art piece represents and shows? If we take it at face value, the purpose of art is to create an atmosphere, an environment that makes us feel good. The subject on the painting or photo is not that important, as long as it can boost the mood and will to work. People create out of inspiration and passion and that’s exactly what artwork should awake in people’s minds.
In Summary
We as humans are not built to hold our focus on something for a prolonged period of time, no matter how much we tell ourselves that we need to work. Distraction is crucial, even though it might sound like we are looking for a way to slack off from the task at hand. It’s not the case at all, we constantly need to stimulate our brains with new information, whether in forms of sound, letters, or art work. And the last way is a great way to do all of that.
Like we mentioned before, art work in workplaces hold a plethora of different benefits to the work environment such as decorative (to convey a message of what the company and people in it are striving for) and psychologic (helping people to relax, relieve stress, and take their attention from one thing to another). There are many different styles of art work you can put in your office, class, or any room people work in. Forests, water walls, classics, abstractive pictures, or just aesthetically pleasing silhouettes that are not oversimplified. The art needs to show calmness, safeness and something intriguing to catch the eye. A momentary distraction is a way to escape for a moment, and who doesn’t want to escape sometimes. Bosses should recognize that having eye-catching work in their offices won’t make it too distracting, it’s a window from a routine of daily life. Aesthetically pleasing things are always brought energy and inspiration and that’s what a workplace needs instead of bland walls that people see each they come to work. Humans have a craving for beautiful, unique things so providing it in a place they work in greatly boosts the productivity of the staff.