The Lazy Report - A defence of laziness and rest as catalysts for creativity in the creative industry
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The Lazy Report - A defence of laziness and rest as catalysts for creativity in the creative industry
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Title page featuring the report name 'The Lazy Report' with the It's Nice That Insights branding
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Sets the stage: productivity is seen as key to creative output, but creativity may have more to do with being lazy. The report will investigate laziness, world events' effects on output, and offer advice for a lazier lifestyle.
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Three chapter overview: What is The Lazy Movement?, Can Laziness Aid Creativity?, Facilitating Laziness
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Chapter opener exploring how the creative industry is shifting away from hustle culture, with individuals redefining the pace of their creativity
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Highlight statistic: Quiet Quitters make up at least 50% of the US workforce - but are creatives afforded the luxury of sitting back?
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Essay exploring the Frog and Toad Twitter bot as comfort, pandemic-driven reassessment of priorities, and the growing desire to be more lazy
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Research on The Great Resignation, Adobe's Future of Time study, Quiet Quitting trend, Gallup statistics, and the Tang Ping movement in China
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Asana's finding that 23 hours of the 40-hour workweek are lost to menial tasks. Microsoft data on changing work patterns, meeting-free blocks, and vacation time increases
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Analysis of overwork culture rooted in education, Long Nights questionnaire findings, HeeJae Kim on romanticisation of burnout
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Conclusion of chapter 1: the need for rest in the creative industry, Frog and Toad closing reference
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A lazy life is on the horizon: creatives are putting up boundaries, taking holidays and telling their boss the work can wait
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Survey data: 70% feel overworked since pandemic, 67% find to-do lists longer at end of day, 38% feel best work is in office vs 62% at home, 68% work best setting own structure
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Survey findings: 56% push back on last-minute requests, 55% prefer holidays over monetary equivalent, 60% prefer meetings over email, 79% feel screen time too high, 59% prioritize salary
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Audience descriptions of their relationship with creativity: drained, boxed in, toxic, stuck, lazy, energising and exhausting, squeezed, tumultuous
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Shift in attitude toward creative output is clear. Creatives want autonomy but salary still matters. Leaders need to reconsider the value of laziness.
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Chapter 2 introduction: exploring whether a lazy approach opens paths for ingenuity. Features essay by Madison Utendahl and interview with bare minimum collective
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Creative genius is often only a few lazy days away - Madison Utendahl
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Personal essay about therapy session that reframed laziness as rest, recovery and self-respect. Introduction to Utendahl Creative's anti-burnout philosophy
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Deconstructing laziness as societal construct, challenging productivity-based worth, referencing Picasso's prolific output vs quality argument
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John Eastwood's psychology of boredom research, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang's Rest philosophy, Utendahl Creative's pro-lazy policies (no meetings before 12PM Monday, five-week closure)
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Laziness is a mood that is impermanent and permissible. Encouragement to celebrate stillness rather than shame it.
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Introduction to bare minimum collective at ICA London. Group of friends from Cambridge who believe in doing nothing or as little as required.
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Vera Chapiro and Christie Costello discuss temperament, queerness, interdependency, mutual care, and daily support structures
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Christie defines laziness as refusal to engage in work in the service of capital. Discussion of work as fetishisation and the politics of refusal.
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Discussion of guilt, overworking culture in academia, precarious employment, and the structure of the labour market
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Against work in service of capital but not against work in service of each other. Discussion of being perceived as frivolous but having serious commitments.
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Advice for adopting bare minimum ethos: find people to live in solidarity with. Communal life as one of the big answers.
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Chapter 2 conclusion: adopting a lazy approach requires evaluating your relationship with work. Simple everyday steps can implement lazy routines.
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Chapter 3 introduction: practical advice from creative freelancers and three top lazy tips for your working week
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Living life away from art is integral to making art, in my opinion. - Caitlyn Murphy
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New York-based visual storyteller who captures mundane moments through animations, illustrations and linocut artworks. His work evokes visual calm.
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Discusses creating calming work, the challenge of deciding look and feel before animating, and the importance of stepping away from frustrating projects
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Being bored leads to daydreaming and free association. Downtime is where most ideas are generated. Now actively guards his downtime.
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Toronto-based painter working with gouache on watercolour paper, depicting incidental scenes from city walks. Psychogeography concept in her practice.
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Self-described lazy person who fights it with deadlines. Values colour as most important element. Creates reflexive, serene art using subdued palettes.
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Without rest, cannot generate new ideas or energy. Movies, cooking, and reading help. Living life away from art is integral to making art.
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South Korean contemporary photographer who uses boredom as inspiration, collaborating with nephew Kim Sae-hyun to document joyful moments of childhood idleness.
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Boredom gives space for miscellaneous thoughts that become work ideas. Time to be lazy frees him from productivity-focused world. Wants to disturb viewer's thinking.
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For ever-busy creatives, learning how to say no is the top underrated skill they want to master - WeTransfer 2023 Ideas Report
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Time is short in creative industries. Learning to say no protects time for idea generation and laziness. Includes list of polite deflection phrases.
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Adopt high maintenance approach to be low maintenance daily. Use the Eisenhower Matrix: Do First, Schedule, Delegate, Don't Do.
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Strategic laziness: adopt a lazier mentality when starting new roles to set sustainable expectations. Rest as part of professional development.
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Redefining laziness as a mentality encouraging reflection. Contributors demonstrate laziness is healthy. Managers should consider its value. Defocusing may be the key to focusing.
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Credits: Editor Lucy Bourton, Researcher Liz Gorny, Art Director Will Knight, Illustrator Dominic Kesterton, Designer Giulia Saporito, Project Manager Sophie Davies. Typeface: Feijoa by Klim Type Foundry.
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Source references: Adobe Future of Time, Asana Anatomy of Work, Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index, Gallup Quiet Quitting, NYT Tang Ping, Futuress Long Nights, It's Nice That burnout article, WeTransfer Ideas Report
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Common questions about this slide and the underlying presentation content.
The Lazy Report is the first Insight Report from It's Nice That, exploring how laziness and rest can be catalysts for creativity in the creative industry. It combines research, survey data, personal essays, and artist interviews to make the case that a rested mind leads to better creative work.
The report was developed by It's Nice That's Creative Insights team, edited by Lucy Bourton, with art direction by Will Knight, illustrations by Dominic Kesterton, design by Giulia Saporito, and research by Liz Gorny.
The report covers three main areas: What is The Lazy Movement (examining quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, and shifting work attitudes), Can Laziness Aid Creativity (featuring an essay by Madison Utendahl and interview with bare minimum collective), and Facilitating Laziness (interviews with artists Raj Jeshang, Caitlyn Murphy, and Hyunmin Ryu, plus three actionable lazy tips).
Key findings include: 70% of creative professionals feel overworked since the pandemic, 62% prefer working from home, 67% find their to-do lists longer at end of day, 56% would push back on last-minute boss requests, and 79% feel their screen time is too high.
Contributors include Madison Utendahl (founder of Utendahl Creative), Vera Chapiro and Christie Costello from the bare minimum collective, visual storyteller Raj Jeshang, painter Caitlyn Murphy, and photographer Hyunmin Ryu.
The three tips are: 1) Learn how to say no - protect your time with polite deflection phrases, 2) Be high maintenance - use the Eisenhower Matrix to eliminate unnecessary tasks, and 3) Pick the optimum time to be lazy - set sustainable expectations especially when starting new roles.
Yes, the report provides research-backed evidence that rest and laziness can improve creative output. It includes practical examples like Utendahl Creative's five-week office closure policy and no-meetings-before-noon rule, offering inspiration for managers looking to implement rest-friendly workplace policies.
The report features a distinctive color-coded chapter system (cream for intro/outro, green for Chapter 1, lavender/pink for Chapter 2, blue for Chapter 3), custom black-and-white illustrations by Dominic Kesterton with colored accents, and the Feijoa serif typeface by Klim Type Foundry throughout.
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