On the Road: Life in a Peripatetic Creative Agency
Reconstructing the geographical movements of a woolly mammoth using ‘GPS tags’ preserved in one of its tusks, researchers have shown that the animal travelled so widely across what is now Alaska that it could have circled the Earth almost twice!
So ice age woolly mammoths were nomads, roaming from place to place in search of food, companionship, and adventure.
At Mammoth Creative Ltd, we share the wanderlust of our long extinct (though soon to return?) namesake and mascot.
As a new startup, running our agency remotely has helped us save on the running costs of renting an office. But as a creative team, we still need a space to connect, share ideas, and work collaboratively.
To this end we have adopted a hybrid approach, meeting regularly in shared workspaces and public venues. Our travels in search of food, companionship, and adventure have taken us to ultra-modern enterprise hubs, fireside roundtables in country pubs, and meeting rooms with golf driving ranges conveniently located in the same establishment.
For this month’s blog post we share the GPS tags from our own tusks, as well as a photo diary and a series of reflections, to bring you on the road with us – a peripatetic creative agency.
Emerging From Lockdown
As lockdown founders, we have grown accustomed to Zoom calls, Teams meetings, Slack channels, and project timelines on Monday.com. We have known nothing else! And these platforms have been central to the success of the first year of our startup journey.
But as restrictions have started to lift over the last few months, we have begun to appreciate what we have been missing as an exclusively remote agency. The camaraderie, the creative spark of the brainstorming session, and the adrenaline rush of a successful client meeting – these experiences are impossible to replicate online.
Not only do we have more fun when we are together, but we are more productive and creative too. In these last few weeks of regular face-to-face meetings we have delivered projects quicker, come up with bigger and better ideas, and had some fruitful conversations with our clients, leading to a series of exciting new projects.
Our dream office setup is beyond the reach of our current finances as a new startup. We want table tennis tables, walls you can doodle on, expensive coffee machines – the archetypal “creative agency” experience!
But until we can afford the full Mammoth HQ, we’ve found a happy medium by discovering combinations of these elements in public venues – cafés, pubs, and co-op workspaces. Transitioning from a fully remote agency to a hybrid model, where we hold regular meetings and events in these spaces, has helped us experience the best of both worlds.
Here are some of the benefits of being a peripatetic creative agency:
Save on costs and responsibilities
While the rain dripped through the ceiling of my Victorian terraced house during the storm last weekend, I had a chance (after fetching the buckets!) to reflect on the benefits of being a nomad…
Stewart and I are new homeowners. Or, more accurately, new owners of old homes – two lovely, but leaky, Victorian terraced houses! And we now have a profound appreciation of the advantages of renting. Number 1 – you don’t have to worry about fixing the roof!
And as the patron of a café or pub, you don’t even have to worry about paying any rent! For the price of a coffee you can sit, warm and dry, and work for a few hours.
The lesson? Nomads save money and are spared the responsibilities and worries of ownership.
Light the creative spark
Public spaces can prove stimulating workplaces. I have always worked better in these environments and wrote most of the chapters of my book in cafés in Brighton, Madrid, and London. In musical terms, I find that the general buzz of the café or pub provides the ideal rhythm for my voice as a writer. And our team has found similar in our temporary workspaces.
The background music, the overheard conversations, the random encounters – all can trigger new ideas and creative inspiration. Not to mention networking opportunities.
Meanwhile, being out in the real world rather than at home on Zoom can help to situate your work in live contexts. Earlier this week we saw our logo for The Mils decorating company on the side of their van in the car park of one of our nomad workspaces, and these glimpses of our work in situ are some of the most rewarding moments in the life of a designer.
Support the places you love
Lockdown was especially challenging for the hospitality sector. Now is our chance to support them once again. Supporting what you love by spending your time and money with them is the best way to keep them alive and make your mark on your local high street.
Find the right work/life balance
Feelings of social isolation and disconnectedness were widespread among remote workers last year. Getting out of the house to meet up together and interact with our local community has helped us feel better about everything, achieving a far healthier work/life balance.
Meanwhile, our travels have taken us to venues ideally suited to the periodic Mammoth competitions that add another bit of fun and competitiveness to our working life. As founders, its important to love what you do, and combining work with play has helped us maintain a good work/life balance.
While our work is improving, so is our golf swing!
We’re always on the lookout for more public spaces for our mobile Mammoth HQ, and welcome any tips. Where are the best places to work in Colchester and London?
