I think that getting to know your customer, or your supplier, is a crucial part of developing a long-lasting professional relationship. So, if you want to get to know The Office Elf keep an eye out on here for things I like, things I do, things that inspired me to create this company.
I will start this series by talking to you about a show I have seen this summer: CastAway by the Highly Sprung Performance Co.
You will probably need a bit of context here: I have been interested, preoccupied, worried about Climate Change for about 10 years now. I have looked for ways to make my lifestyle more sustainable and I have created The Office Elf with a long-term dream of being able to help companies to run and grow their business whilst respecting the environment and the people around them.
BUT I always felt that I could not get my point across, especially in the corporate world: things need to change, we need to change, the world as we know it needs to change. I tried to talk, I tried to explain, and sometimes it worked: I could see my colleagues or my friends and family reducing single-used plastic items, eating a bit less meat, going charity-shopping on a Saturday afternoon. Only a drop in the ocean some would say but when it is your drop in this big ocean, it does make you feel proud.
Another bit of context: before I moved to the UK, I worked in the music industry in France for independent festivals, producers, artists that believe that art has a way of bringing people from different backgrounds together as one.
That being said, I would like to talk about: CastAway. I’ve seen this show at the Festival Of Thrift in September 2021. The festival in itself was amazing (if you’re around Redcar next September, I highly recommend it: https://www.festivalofthrift.co.uk/) but this production really hit home with me. It’s an aerial production using a giant seesaw. At one end what I interpreted as the spirit of the ocean, and at the end: us, the society, the consumers. No words are spoken but the intensity of the music and the actors soon embark us deep into the waste issues of our modern society. And there I was, in Redcar, looking around me, seeing children, parents, grand-parents being absorbed by this siren-like figure flying across a pile of rubbish. That for me is one of the magical powers of art: bringing people from all backgrounds, together for a few minutes, and make them think without them knowing about a global issue: the way we treat our planet and the way we consume.
If you have a chance to see this show, I highly recommend it.
I’ll pop some details there: https://highlysprungperformance.co.uk/production/castaway/
Feel that we could be a good professional match? More info here: https://www.theoffice-elf.com/
Loved the article and definatley putting the festival of thrift in my calendar for 2022!