Creative by Nature
During Mental Health Awareness Week, this Creative Boom insight struck a chord with us:
“Add some 3pm joy”.
A clever and creative prompt.
That post-lunch slump? Real. A creative mental block? Familiar.
There is a small solution to be found in the everyday.
Be it a walk around the block, a team tortoise video or a caramel wafer. Small shift. Big lift.
In the spirit of little things making a big difference, here’s a quiet update on what we’ve been doing behind the scenes.
We formalised our Social & Environmental Strategy last year. It’s something we’ve always done intuitively, but (in collaboration with Material) we developed a framework and some shared language.
We called it Transparent and Optimistic. That still feels right.
We got to work with Glasgow City Council’s ExtendPlus Programme to set our carbon baseline, so we’re now clearer on where we stand, and where we can do better. From decisions around energy consumption and our use of AI to using local suppliers – there’s more O Street intention behind our choices. Still learning, still adjusting.
A studio highlight was a private preview of Dr. Melanie van de Velde’s TEDx talk ‘The Space Between a Darkening World and a Brighter Future’, after which she ran a Sustainability Impact Workshop with the team.
The energy in the studio was ace, everyone leaning in, taking notes, and exploring big ideas for change – exactly what we hope creativity can inform.
Team wellbeing continues to be front and centre with personal development plans, a refreshed WFH policy and a 4.5 day working-week. The mental health of our studio team is of paramount importance, with the implementation of a rest day during Mental Health Awareness Week and some mental health first aid training.
We’re not perfect. Travel (still) impacts our emissions and our tree‑planting plans are (still) delayed. But by being honest with ourselves and each other, we’re making space to get better, creatively and responsibly.
We’re all creative thinkers – creativity isn’t just what we do, it’s how we do it.
That means inventing new ways to live our values as much as producing good work.
