Creative Spirit UK.
Why wouldn’t you?
At the end of 2011, Ben and I saw ‘Lloyd’s Story’, Droga 5 Sydney’s Creative Spirit film on Creativity.
If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s a beautifully told story of how a disabled person can benefit from - and add to - a creative work environment. It’s as well packaged as you’d expect from that agency and left an impression that stayed with us.
Through the man tears over the desk, there was a weird mixture of pride, and guilt. Pride that the Advertising Creative Industry was capable of doing something so selfless. Guilt that we were about to applaud that thing that agency on the other side of the world were doing, whilst moving on to the next meeting in the diary.
The message in ‘Lloyd’s Story’ is so simple; people like Lloyd thrive in creative environments, and those creative environments already have the roles ready and waiting.
If only we were in charge of a creative environment that someone like Lloyd could benefit from…
36 seconds later, we wrote to David Nobay, CCO at Droga Sydney. It was more than obvious, and I think we were a little afraid of having the thought and then not acting on it.
So Jake started with us here in London nearly a year ago. And to be honest, it’s nothing special at all. He’s just another character in the office. Adding to the collaborative mix that makes a creative company. He makes everyone tea. He shreds more paper than we knew we had. He has a laptop for research. You should hear his views on the declining films of Eddie Murphy.
Jake has Autism. He is smart - sharp - but struggles with social contact, he likes to stick to a routine and do one thing at a time. He’s a fan of photography and graphic design, and as mentioned has a keen eye and strong ideas about film.
“Interacting with the people, more so the people themselves, I really like that.” - Jake.
To find Jake we worked with Huw Davies - huw.davies@base-uk.org / @base_tweets / 01204 880733 - Chief Exec at BASE - British Association for Supported Employment and it has been seamless. For lazy CD types such as ourselves, it’s perfect. We haven’t had to lift a finger, and yet there’s Jake in the kitchen, making tea and chatting to creative people in a creative environment, where he’s free to be himself. There’s music on the stereo, no-one wears a suit, there’s no customers or members of the public, it’s all creatively routine.
Now, if you are anything like us, you are asking yourself whether you should do this too. You should. Really. Why wouldn’t you?
From advertising agencies to architectural firms, film to fashion, theatre and dance companies to music and production studios…
You already have the environment. You have the tasks. And now you have the email - twitter - phone number 01204 880733 and a nice photograph of Huw who can make it all happen. There’s no risk. We’ve done all the hard work for you.
Other friendly companies we know are already someway down the path. We hope to hear more from them soon. Meantime, this has been our Creative Spirit story. Now, what’s yours?
Get in touch with either us or Huw to learn more.
Andy, Ben and Jake. Work Club, London.
ps. If you yourself cannot make it happen, the very least you can do is RT the fuck out of this article to others that can. Thx.
