They were given time to develop their own work, which meant talking about aesthetic judgements, a whole new language for some people. What the process did, says Pauline, was to help people express themselves in a different way, to gain an appreciation of art and to be aware of their surroundings. Most of industry is driven by the end-product. Everybody has creativity locked within them. But to give people the opportunity to express themselves, to give them the materials and the time to go and play is wonderful.
Innovation comes from play.
The end result is more than play, of course. It has also helped the work force adapt to modern practices that are very different from what many workers used to know. New technology has meant that people no longer take a job through from the drawing to the finished product. The technology is so specialised that it is no longer realistic, so people are just taking part in little bits of the process. What allowing people to create has done is to put some of that process back.