Home is where the ART is

It’s December 2020, Zoom call no.187, and it’s time for something new. With all of us stuck WFH and on conference calls 9-5, we’ve found ourselves reshuffling furniture, clearing tables and finding the most professional, non-distracting, (plain) looking wall we can find to use as a backdrop for our calls. After finding out that happy workers are more productive, the desire to switch up your working environment has never felt more necessary.

We thought it was about time to spruce things up, and see how we could make our 3pm Wednesday call a little bit more entertaining. We have created some fun ‘virtual’ backgrounds for you to download and enjoy at home, with the hope of impressing your co-workers throughout the day or just get you feeling good about your working space. Plus, it means you aren’t faffing around at 8.59am tidying your messy workspace… it’s all in disguise!

After reading that ‘art makes a home more human’ and encourages us to ‘express ourselves’, we thought what better piece of art to symbolise this than this monumental crucifixion oil of Jesus. I can inform you that after working under this painting of Jesus myself, I was sure left feeling inspired.

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The next one is a plant haven. Indoor house plants are proven to reduce stress levels and boost our mood so what better way to lift the spirits in your back-to-back zoom calls, than this beautiful indoor foliage? The most low-maintenance indoor plants you will ever have to care for!

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Mimic a chic 1960s inspired working environment with this funky setup. If you position yourself correctly, you will find yourself sitting on this mid-century masterpiece, a swivel armchair by Albert Jacob- a real head-turner!

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THE FUN PART: How to create your custom background

  • Get downloading your favourite backdrop, we have curated eight of our favourites, ready to download.

  • Once signed into Zoom, next to the icon ‘Stop video’ there is a small arrow to the right, once clicked, you can select ‘Choose a virtual background’.

  • Now for the best part- upload your background of choice!

Read more research from the University of Oxford on happiness and productivity here

For an inspiring piece about the importance of art in our home, read here

Lastly, a pretty cool article on the conversation about house plants and connecting with nature during lockdown!

Happy reading!

By Claudia Watkins | 07/12/20

Arthur Hodder