Just Imagine with Jake Blais 💭
"Staring out the window, cloud gazing, spacing-out all, these seem to have negative connotations, but in my experience, this is where real creative development happens". This is what Jake Blais has to say about imagination. Just imagine… it’s not all you have to do. But there is no better place to start.
“In today’s busy climate, packed with devices, 24-hour news, work, family and meetings on top of meetings, we simply don’t spend enough time in our own imaginations. We are pre-programmed with a built-in play and prototyping environment called imagination. This is an incredible tool to possess.
“Creativity starts with imagination; playing is the means through which we explore it. Both are in my job title: Creative Lead of Learning Through Play. It’s a fairly new role. What makes it so different is that the core focus is on how we can get our colleagues to be more playful. Somebody once said ‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing’. There’s some debate around who but, whoever it was, they were very wise.
“Whether it’s through storytelling, visual execution, or through process, creativity inspires. So whether I’m designing a play activity or helping create the direction for our internal Play Day, I am working to ensure that the creative execution is inspiring, telling a story that carries my colleagues to a creative space, or ensuring that they can exercise their own creativity and imagination.
“Play is an extremely important part of our learning and growth. It’s clearly understood at the childhood level, but it’s also a huge benefit to adults. We’re lifelong learners; we need to be lifelong players too. In an organisation whose business is play, my role to communicate that importance to our colleagues is critical.
"We have many courses available to exercise our play learning skills. To continue to develop, we need to be curious enough to want to learn, it gives us the space and permission to be open to new ideas. Learning Through Play gives us the tools we need to build skills that are useful to us in all areas, at work, at home and when we are out in the community. Playful learning helps us absorb and perform in a relaxed and joyful environment. Fun. We have fun. Fun is the cornerstone of my role.
“I spent my first 10 years with the LEGO Group, in our internal LEGO® Agency, developing really fun and exciting campaigns, media and entertainment and I am extremely proud of so many of those achievements, one standout is producing the LEGO® Star Wars™ Freemaker Adventures TV series.
“Years ago, at a fan convention, a family approached our head writers for the series and thanked them for creating the show. The brother and sister had apparently fought most of their lives, when they saw the show and the relationship dynamics we created for the characters, they realised that behaviour our show role-modelled was what they wanted for their lives. Having that kind of real-world impact makes my job so fulfilling.
“More recently, in this new role, my proudest achievement was creating a fun and engaging concept taking all colleagues on a journey through time for our 90th Anniversary Play Day and the corresponding activities and communication. My team and I work to inspire our colleagues so they are equipped to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, what could be better than that?
“I can close my eyes and go back in time 40 years and remember exact moments of LEGO play and imagination that propelled me to different points in my career journey. Curiosity in machines and invention that lead me to engineering and drafting, which in turn led to animation. Role playing led to storytelling and using LEGO bricks to build scenes from films I loved, some of which I then got the chance to re-imagine in my LEGO career.
“The bricks took me on a journey, and whether they were a constant part of the whole trip or not, they inspired my curiosity and helped point me in a direction. Knowing I have a role in shaping those directions for the future is what inspires me to be here.”
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