What is your creative process?

As a new year begins, we’ve been keeping the energy high during our weekly lunchtime Have I got Views For You chats, hosted every Wednesday lunchtime by community member Sam of Festoon Studios. This time, we sat down to reflect on the little things we do every day to improve (or build from scratch) our creative process.

Union St is home to more than traditionally “creative” types - we’re all being creative in the ways that make sense for us. From working around childcare and caring responsibilities to waking up extra early in the morning to do some free writing. Here are some of our most popular strategies for staying creative:

Live Drawing by Studio Noodle

• Reading, research and gathering inspiration from the world around us

A common strategy for everyone was to remain open to the world around us, rather than just looking for inspiration while sitting at a desk. A great example of this approach was when The Beatles took the lyrics for “Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite” from a 19th-century circus poster.

• A dedicated workspace

Some of us prefer to have a dedicated space set up where distractions are limited and all our tools are set up, ready for us to use. The guitarists in the group would have preferred a guitar in every room!

• Try something new before work starts - like freewriting

We're all aware how quickly the evenings can slip away once work has finished. One strategy mentioned was waking up slightly earlier to try your new creative strategy - in this case freewriting. Free writing involves short, focused writing sessions allowing yourself to work uninterrupted. The trick is to not try to edit in the moment, because that slows you down and disrupts your flow.

• Break habits and seek new environments

When we inevitably face a creative block, our usual remedy is to step away from the desk. Taking a walk or going for a run to disrupt our unproductive thought patterns is a common approach. It seems that we all enjoy experiencing as many new things as possible to break old habits and develop new ways of thinking!

• Test your work with an audience and get feedback

We often fall into the same patterns of thinking, especially when working on our own or remotely. We can overestimate or underestimate the work that we've done or the methods we used to get there. Sharing your work with a colleague or friend who's opinion or expertise you trust, and getting honest feedback is the fastest way to opening up new ways of thinking.

Joining the co-working community has helped some of us avoid the distractions of home working and meet people outside of our own industries. Nothing opens your mind like meeting someone who does a job you’ve never heard of. And we all bring our unique experiences together during our weekly Wednesday chats!

If you’re interested in a focused workspace, with access to monitors, keyboards, and most importantly a coworking community who like to learn from each other, then check out the options here or book in with Matt to take a guided tour.

Coworking FAQs

Questions? We might have the answer below. If not, just book a call with Matt and he’ll be able to answer anything else.

How long is the taster day and free trial?

The taster day can be a full day, a quick ten-minute tour, or anything in between – it’s up to you! We’d generally recommend coming in for whatever a normal working day looks like for you.

The free trial is two weeks long, and can start on a day that you choose. You can cancel it at any time, free of charge.

When are you open?

Co-working at Union St opens at 8am and closes at 6.30pm every weekday. We’re closed on weekends and on bank holidays. The cafe downstairs is open from 8:30am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Do I need to stick to the same day every week?

No, you can come in any day you like – and it can be different from week to week. You won’t need to tell anyone in advance, and there’s no booking system. Just come in when you feel like it!

I didn’t use all my days this week. Can I use them next week instead?

If you’re going on holiday, or away for a time, you can use your days the week before or the week after. Please just give Matt a quick heads-up though so he knows that’s your plan.

Can I just pay-as-I-go instead? And only pay for the days I use?

Sorry, no. We don’t have a pay-as-you-go system because Union St wouldn’t be financially viable without paid memberships.

Is it hotdesking, or can I have the same desk each day?

Our main co-working floor is hotdesking, but you can rent a dedicated deskspace on the top floor if you’d like the same desk every day.

What happens if I have a meeting, or need to take a call?

We have nine phone booths and two meeting rooms across our various floors. If you know you have a meeting in advance, you can book one of the meeting rooms for free. Whilst you can’t book the phone booths, there is almost always one available for you to use. If not, you're welcome to make calls from the desks on the 1st floor, and from the cafe.

Do you have screens I can use?

Yes. There is a ‘screens shelf’ so help yourself. Obviously there’s a finite amount, so feel

free to bring your own – you can store it on the shelf whilst you’re not here. Just put a post-it note on your screen saying if other members can – or can’t – borrow it when you’re not in.

Could I bring a friend or a guest for a day?

If you have a friend or guest visiting for a day then sure, you can bring them for free – but please let Matt know in advance, and we’d really appreciate it if they bought a coffee or two. If your friend is trying Union St out with a view to maybe joining, please encourage them to book a trial day, so we can meet them and explain how thing work. Is you guest a client? Don’t forget that as a member you can book meeting rooms for free for up to 2 hours per day.

How does the Getting Involved scheme work? And what does it really mean?

Don’t worry, there’s no enforced group yoga. We wanted to do things differently, and try to build a genuine community. And offering a 50% refund if you ‘get involved’ is a really great way of making that happen. Read this quick article all about the scheme and how it works.

Do I have to get involved?

No, we recognise that some people are juggling kids, businesses and so on. There’s

absolutely no obligation to get involved. About a third of people do the scheme, which is designed to be easy and flexible.

When is the Direct Debit payment made?

By default, the first Direct Debit is made the day after the end of your two-week free trial. But you can change this! It can be any day of the month you like, just let us know what’s best.

Do I get any perks as a member?

Apart from the warm, fuzzy feeling of community, wellbeing and productivity, you mean? As a member you’ll also get £1 off coffees and lunches in the cafe downstairs. And of course, for up to 2 hours per day you can book meeting rooms for free too.

Interested in finding out more? You can book the best time for chat on the phone or a Tour of the facilities (which includes free coffee) and a free taster day via this link here.

Co-working: What does ‘getting involved’ really mean?

‘Getting involved’ at Union St gets you 50% refunded from your monthly coworking fee. A solid offer. But what does it actually involve? And why is it priced like this in the first place?

“We wanted to do things differently” says Matt, Co-founder. “People are looking for more than a desk – they’ve got that at home. So the idea of building a community for the benefit of its members was really important”.

So, by getting involved, people can contribute in ways other than just handing over their money? “Exactly. About a third of people ‘get involved’ which is great. It's designed to be easy, and it's designed to be flexible”.

“But I recognise that others are juggling businesses, kids and so on. There’s absolutely no obligation to do it”.

What kind of things do people do then? Well, there’s loads on. Some people choose to

organise groups; this is just a small selection:

• Hot Yoga

• Gardening club

• Book Club

• Tuesday night running group

• Shared lunch crew

• The ADHD group

• After work drinks

• Live music outings

Then there's the practical things, like turning up at 7.45 in the morning to unlock the building and put the coffee on, or locking up in the evening. You could even write an article for the website, I suppose.

So Union Street benefits. And the individual? “I'd like to think that everybody feels that Union St is something that they are part of, rather than something that they’re a customer of. And I think they do... but you should ask them”.

So I did:

Will

Gets involved by... making smoothies for the 3pm break on Wednesdays, and then washes up afterwards. Time dedicated each week: half-an-hour or so.

Refund: 50%, worth £120 per month.

And did you benefit in other ways? “It forced me to be more social, which is a good thing. I felt more integrated sooner. Also, it’s just nice how grateful people are for it.”

Ella

Gets involved by... baking potatoes for everyone on a Monday lunchtime. Everyone brings a different topping, so there’s a whole spread of options (and a free lunch for everyone).

Time dedicated each week: 45 minutes a week.

Refund: 50%, worth £90 per month.

And did you benefit in other ways? “I came to Sheffield 18 months ago and didn't really know anybody. It’s been a really nice way to quickly get to know lots and lots of people.”

Sam

Bruno, Flo and Sam (right)

Gets involved by... running 'Have I Got Views For You': a weekly discussion based on a random topic each week. Could be literally anything (apart from politics).

Time dedicated each week: 45 minutes, an hour maybe.

Refund: 50%, worth £165 per month (Sam is a full time member)

And did you benefit in other ways? “They should call it the fast-track friends scheme.”

Want to get involved, but not sure what you’d do? Don’t worry. There’s always some ideas floating around. Chat to Matt and see if anything takes your fancy.

Still unsure? Really, the best way to suss things out is to book a free trial day.