Auditing your Artwork

The artwork in your workspace needs to be challenged and changed on a regular basis.

Too often we add art to our environment and then forget about it. After a few weeks or months, it starts to blend into the wallpaper, virtually invisible.

Where this can be problematic is that the artwork is still functioning in the space – it is still sending messages to you, your team, customers, and clients who visit the space.

I recommend taking a few minutes to run a simple Art Audit. Have a look around your environment and all the art in the space (posters, paintings, sculptures, desktop objects, ‘executive toys’, etc.)

Ask yourself whether those messages are still viable:

• Do they accurately reflect who you are as a business? Has your model or brand shifted?
• Do they reflect where you are in your business? Are you still a scrappy startup, or have you matured into something more stable, with more authority?
• Are they still signalling where you want to be going? How has your vision expanded (or narrowed) and how is this reflected in the space?

There are no downsides to performing an Art Audit.

If you determine that the existing artwork in still relevant, then fantastic. By examining and challenging what is in the space, you bring it back into focus. You create space for the messaging to be seen afresh, increasing its influence on the environment.

If you decide that the artwork doesn’t reflect the current business, then you get to choose fresh pieces that support who and what it is now. You have an opportunity to enliven and invigorate your work environment. And reflect on how your business has evolved.