And now for something completely different…Yes, you’re right, not one of my normal cartoons. I thought I’d mix it up a bit and share with you some of the other cartooning work I do.
I’ve been looking at ways of introducing art into our workplace as I’m believe that art helps spark people’s imagination and put simply, makes them feel good. But, the art had to fit in with the business environment (hey, we’re a serious bunch of engineers at work); it had to be another element of the business that made sense amongst the library of engineering standards, 3D CAD machines and meeting rooms.
Ultimately, this idea manifested itself into what I call The Art of Us. This is one panel from a growing series of panels that I’ve checker boarded onto the big blank beige wall opposite my desk (What is it about engineering offices and their love of all things beige or warm grey?). Each panel aims to depict in images and a few words the culture of our organisation and express what it means to work here. But best of all, it’s a community project and allows anyone in the business to get engaged in the art. These aren’t my ideas; these are the thoughts and feelings of people in the business. They simply tell me what they think one of our cultural strengths is and I interpret their thoughts and feelings into a one panel drawing.
So what do you think?
What word or phrase would you use to describe the culture of your workplace?
What a fantastic idea for a cartoon Marti – I love it! A beautifully simple representation of an idea we’re all familiar with 🙂
Thanks Jen. I had a bit of help. My work colleague showed me a picture of random shapes and then presented the picture of the bicycle in full. I thought it would be good to further expand on the concept by introducing people and think bubbles 🙂
Hey Martian – this is awesome!
Yikes – autocorrect just turned your name into ‘Martian’!!!! Hope all is good with you.
All good here on planet Mars 🙂
Hey, long time no speak… Thanks Stella. I had fun drawing it.
One great minds think alike. Ours is focused on snacking while we work.
I like the idea of subtle ways to influence cultures. My current work culture is in a state of flux; hopefully I can talk about improvements soon.
Thanks GD. I find work culture to be fascinating and it makes such an impact on our everyday working lives – it’s the difference between a crap day and an awesome day. PS. I like to view the cartoons from Gapingvoid.com – they use cartoons to influence, actually embrace and improve, work culture. Check them out.