Our learning and development director Catherine Jordan Jones introduces the B-Curious collabs.
As an employee-owned communications agency this is Barley’s way of inspiring different ways of thinking and sparking new connections within our team. These collaborative adventures are designed to encompass our core values of curiosity, energy and integrity, feeding back into the work we create and how we come together as a team.
So, what’s the deal? Well, we believe that the best ideas come from getting out of your comfort zone and exploring new horizons. That’s why we’ve cooked up B-Curious collabs – an opportunity for team members to partner-up for a quarterly exploration of anything from:
- Art exhibitions
- Cultural talks
- The latest openings and pop-ups
- Exploring historic buildings
- Book clubs and much, much more.
First things first, everyone’s invited. Whether you’re a full-time Barley employee or a freelancer, we encourage everyone to get involved and we provide a budget to cover the costs of the activity.
Now, let’s talk pairings. We work with team members across the UK and in other countries, so we’ve structured B-Curious collabs to be accessible and inclusive for all. Plus, we switch things up every six months, so you’ll always have a fresh person and perspective to bounce ideas off.
- Laura and Cath went to BBC Earth to lie back and listen to David Attenborough as they visited the wonderful wildlife that inhabits each continent on giant screens. They also spotted some great place-making ideas on the way in.
- Adam and Christina went to the immersive Van Gogh exhibition in Spitalfields to experience a new, innovative way of presenting art in our ever-digitising world.
- Sam and Nic visited the Tate Modern’s ‘Media Networks’ display for a different take on communication – looking at how artists in the Tate’s collection have responded over the past hundred years to the impact of mass media and technological change.
- James and Ellie visited Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, a striking building, transformed by John Nash, who also designed Regent Street from the Mall right up to Regent’s Park!
But what if you’re miles apart from your collab buddy? No problem! There’s a whole bunch of virtual adventures to choose from. Here are just a few ideas the team has in the works:
- Buy and read the same book and discuss it on a Teams’ meeting
- Take each other on a virtual tour of where you live using WhatsApp video and share something that inspires you
- Take an online course
- Do a watch-a-long of a film or TV programme that has seized the popular imagination and discuss
Running alongside the collabs is the B-Curious zone. It’s our personal Slack channel for sharing anything interesting. From illuminating reads and immersive pop-ups to thought provoking campaigns, the B-Curious zone is a hub for inspiration.
Keep an eye out on our socials (Instagram, LinkedIn) to see what the team has been up to on their B-Curious collabs!