3 Reasons why a residency matters!
In a time where startups are not only trying to innovate and pitch new ideas or products but also offer career opportunities for potential employees that are unique — here is a chance for unconventional activities and services to flourish. Gone are the days when the word corporate is a desirable trait of an office environment. Words such as interactive, engaging and authentic spring to mind.
Lets not forget the importance of connecting with the customer on a digital platform where geography and time are serious hurdles to overcome. It takes forward thinking programs that weave together company values, the everyday customer and as some consider the most important group of all — the employees. A monthly lunch or annual party don’t cut the mustard any longer and consumer research or surveys are cold or often lost amongst the pile of spam.
Where is the collaboration? Where is the creativity? For a company such as Redbubble and many others often in a creative field, an in house residency program ticks all the boxes. An ecosystem that encourages enduring value and provides inspiration and success for all seems too good to be true but it works — it works very well for us and here is why!

Reason 1 — Employee Well-being
For startups, staying in touch with their customer can be super easy. In fact for the most part they become part of the very fabric of the office and are physically present every step of the way. It’s not unheard of that startups even employ the very people they are trying to sell to because at this point in a business lifecycle it often lends itself so well to create a ‘pitch in, every one helps’ intimate environment. This was certainly the case for Redbubble and was an invaluable part of its’ evolution. Having an artist who uses Redbubble daily was a clear asset in forming teams such as Customer Service for example.
As a company grows however and the discovery and learning phases of its formation are better understood, having experts who can execute very detailed or specific elements of a project are needed. Before you know it, a larger more specialised team is formed often with skills that are not easily relatable to the end consumer but ultimately help grow the business and bring success to all involved. Here comes the challenge — we know what to do, we are figuring out how to do it so leave us be so we can get to work. That face to face connection or ongoing relationship with the customer has potential to weaken.
How easy it is for us to get caught up in our work standing at our fancy desks and booking meeting after meeting. Now more than ever the importance of nurturing that relationship is vital but too easily forgotten. A residency program for Redbubble allows employees to have artists working in the office space all year round. Bringing their creativity, expertise and point of view to any project a team has on their books but also gives insight for employees to witness an artist’s practice in person. It is harder to forget who a core customer is if they are sharing the same space and are woven into the very fabric of daily office life. Personal connections and investments are made and seeing an artist succeed is ultimately a success for Redbubble.

Reason 2 — Business Growth
As it was in the startup stage, the customer is essential and should be included in the process of problem solving and development but in a slightly more creative way. Guessing the artist’s perspective or referring back to previous sampled data from the most recent research is a very one way street. To understand the reasoning behind why an artist behaves or feels the way they do about a change or improvement, being able to ask them in person and converse is invaluable. Asking for real time feedback and guidance again seems simple but unless they are on hand or right next to you in the office, the chance to do so is virtually impossible.
By having a regular stream of artists in the office space, this allows teams across all departments to plan accordingly and even help program potential work for artists to participate in. In regards to the recent changes to RB residency program, we have given in house teams the opportunity to pitch projects they are currently working on where an artist’s perspective would be welcome. For a small amount of time each week an artist partners with said team to workshop whichever project they are tackling for that quarter. One way to make sure the appropriate artist is selected from the beginning is including the project team at the application stage. Think of it as an alternative way to interviewing prospective employees for the role. This ensures that not just the team but also the artist is the correct fit.

Reason 3 — Customer Development
We also offer through the residency program a perfect opportunity for artists to pitch their very own idea that may sync in with a specific team within the office. Again making sure a perfect match can be achieved, Redbubble continues to vet applicants to make sure that they are able to effectively offer support but also gain knowledge from the artist’s aspirations. This way an artist can work towards a personalised goal that will directly improve their chances for success as an independent artist.
There are resources and insights at Redbubble’s disposal that often do not make their way down to the consumer’s level. By opening the doors and bringing them inside the belly of the beast so to speak, an artist is able to develop their own business practice by speaking to experts in the marketplace. For Redbubble one common challenge for communicating with such a large online audience is producing digestible content that can apply to the varied range of the community itself on a digital platform. Often this transfer of knowledge is best done face to face, the challenge lies in translating it and sharing to other users. Working with the resident’s to flesh out this content and even recruiting them to help build and distribute these learnings can be an efficient way of achieving this goal.
For the artists who are often disconnected and alone in figuring out what is best for their practise, they get the chance to troublshoot and learn from experts by using their own experiences as test case scenario. Win for the artist and win for the team! The trick is to not waste this opportunity and make sure from the beginning any learnings are flagged for potential sharing to the wider artist community. This not only offers the chance to solidify learnings for both the artist and employee but also include the wider community so all can benefit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib25dGhRF68
As a complete secondary benefit it says a lot about the character of a company when they invest time and ultimately money (the two things artists often do not have enough of) to build relationships and help artists succeed. Even though from a PR perspective it can make a company more attractive especially sharing the philanthropic work a residency program does, ultimately that cannot be the sole reason. Instead focusing on bringing more creativity into the world by enabling and supporting artist to achieve their dreams, the added benefits come naturally. Redbubble sees the residency as a microcosm for the entire mission of the company — it is Redbubble in action!
