Soon (very soon) we’re all (some) gonna (may) be needled up and ready to dance. My one wish, if the Genie isn’t too busy with other miscellaneous requests like guaranteeing free return shipping on orders over 50 pounds, is that open offices open up even more. Because I’ve had it with walls – crude and literally hollow barriers to deep thinking. You could spend hours upon hours of the working day searching for a stud or sturdy I-beam so your fist safely goes through the drywall. But after a few rounds of feedback, even that gets old.
What creativity requires is unobstructed sky. Sky you can reach out and grab with both hands. So touch a cloud or two if you’re feeling adventurous. Inhale a bit of the jet-stream, too. But how? The best most offices do nowadays is let us partially crack a window for a passing nod to the fresh air.
When I see a partially constructed building with a hanging string of work lights and loose Tyvek wrap flapping in the wind, I think, “stop right there.” If I rode a bicycle (I don’t, I won’t and I would never) I’d ring a series of bells and whistles to alert any other pedestrians that the half-finished monstrosity they are passing without a passing glance is worth more than their time, it’s worth their livelihood. What a building like this offers is a chance to both feel free and feel the whirring buzz of casual drone traffic.
Now that’s openness on a grand scale. An open office without seats, tables, or walls lets everyone be themselves. I understand that an environment like this isn’t for everyone. But it should be. We figured out amphitheaters long ago and yet, out of a fear of birds, nature or whatever, we’ve enclosed these structures, shutting them off from the rest of society. Why does a violinist need a roof to hit the right note? They don’t. All they need is a stage. Same goes for you.
It’s okay to wear a harness during your first couple weeks as you acclimate to the open office. After that though, watch the edge.
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