Friday, March 6th I had some Menlonians over for a Galentine’s Day party. Little did I know this would be the last gathering I would be hosting for quite awhile. I am a creative at heart and one of the activities I enjoy doing is collaging, so I invited my coworkers to join me in spending the evening each creating a collage.
Spread out across tables and poster boards were hundreds of images I had clipped out over the years from old copies of magazines like The Economist, World Vision, and Boy’s Life.
After we enjoyed some mimosas and yummy “breakfast for dinner” treats, I handed out a 5x7 piece of cardboard, glue stick, and pair of scissors to each Menlonian and shared these instructions –
- Walk around the room, perusing all the images
- Feel free to take any image you are drawn to (you could be inspired by it, feel it describes you, or it could speak to you in some way)
- Once you have had a chance to take in all the images, back at your place, take some time with them and begin cutting them out and arranging them on your 5x7 board. The act of cutting the images and choosing where to place them on the board gives you a chance to reflect on them and why they are meaningful to you. You may not end of using all the images that you took to your seat, that’s fine. As you start to create the collage, you will figure out which images you want to use and why.
- The goal is to have your entire board filled with images, arranged in a way that leaves no white space.
We spent the next hour chatting, collaging and listening to music. In true Menlo fashion, once we all finished our collages, we did a “Show & Tell” to share with each other what images had made it onto our collage and what they meant to us. Many of us had a theme to our collage.
In looking back at my collage, it’s ironic that so much of the theme that emerged from it is relevant in the times we are currently in. First off, I’ll say that I love being a momma to my two young, sweet boys. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But the focus of my collage as I got into it, became a reflection on the parts of myself that I have struggled to nurture and maintain as I balance all the responsibilities and demands on my time that being a mom brings.
I was drawn to images of runners, artists, and people outdoors. Before kids, it wasn’t uncommon to see me on a Friday night in front of a canvas, painting for hours – the perfect way to unwind after the week. I also enjoyed doing triathlons and running races. And I desired to find a way to spend more time outside. Often it seemed I jumped from working in the Menlo basement to having dinner with the kids and getting them ready for bed.
I subscribe to James Clear’s (author of Atomic Habits) newsletter and in a recent edition, he asked a “simple question that may help reveal the positive side of the current moment” – “What does this make possible?”
For me, having more time at home has made it possible to explore more of my creative side. I’ve gotten back to working on a book project that is important to me. I’ve been able to get back into a regular routine of running and spending time outside. I’ve also been able to find ways to do many of these things with the kids. My 4 year old expressed a desire to go running with me, so now we go on 10 minute runs (with a break every 30 seconds of course). My 2 year old and I spend time outside, getting the garden ready while he digs for worms.
I’m also thankful that during this time, we as Menlonians have had some time to work on developing ourselves and findings new ways to contribute to the business. I’ve seen so much creativity in our office over the past number of weeks that has been allowed to flourish because many of the things that typically take up our time have slowed down.
This time is difficult and I miss the constant energy and buzz of being in the Menlo Factory, surrounded by all my coworkers. But, I am thankful for what it has made possible. I hope that this time makes some wonderful things possible for you as well.