Draw new knowledge for the business world by reflecting and contemplating art
With increasing pressure in the business world, the individual need for approaching the inner core grows. Inwardly directed questions arise: What is my uniqueness? What is important to me? What is the meaning of my doing? True self-knowledge offers fundamental answers to these questions. The gained inner clarity of a self-knowledge process releases energy for change and sustainable development. In this process, art can help. Artwork forms a unique platform to facilitate self-reflection without any detours. They invite the viewer to look beyond the limits of his or her thought and action patterns and to grant him/herself new space for development.
Art causes cultural change
We are surrounded by art and richly gifted with a variety of ways to experience it. Many companies recognize the importance of artwork beyond the material value and allow their employees to design their workplace with self-selected art. Art adds colour, vitality, movement, expression to the world and the workplace.
A huge selection of museums and public collections offers a wealth of creative works from many centuries. Artists have always shaped the spirit of the times and are an integral part in the development of civilization. Companies and people are also in constant cultural change. They need stimulating and strengthening influences, which open up forward-thinking options and enable holistic personality and corporate development.
Reflection work with paintings
Each type of art carries messages and triggers individual impulses. If art is applied for gaining insights the observer dives into his or her own inner world of images. Without even being artistically gifted, the observer takes on what is depicted and starts his/her own creative process. This happens in different ways, because the viewer relates his/her own life-experience to the artwork and therefore creates an individual relationship with it. The contemplation of art enlivens thoughts and feelings. In this process, every artwork becomes a newly created work, that never existed before and in exactly this one way is only perceptible for the observer.
Art in business
Using art is especially helpful in business since factual and analytical aspects are dominant in everyday work life. The imagery adds colour to black and white perspectives and highlights nuances. Observing art and reflection does not require an intellectual investigation of brushstrokes or art epochs. What is needed is an “open yourself up” attitude for new ideas. There should be no interpretation into the artwork or the artist because it is not about the assessment of this artwork. For the desired insights it is all about the artwork that has been created inside the observer. How does the image affect the observer? What thoughts are triggered by the symbols portrayed in the artwork? The associations stand in direct relation to the current situation of the observer. To follow the mental trails and transferring them into the current job context, immediately leads to new awareness and thus creates new actions and decision scopes. By reflecting artwork self-knowledge grows.
Christine Kranz in Web christine.kranz@symbolon.com ∙ www.symbolon.com XING ∙ LinkedIn ∙ Twitter ∙ Facebook
Image: © Shutterstock