In this week’s episode, Susan Hensley, author of Art for Your Sanity invites you out onto the dance floor at work. She joins our intergenerational roundtable to share advice for play, creativity, and even cutting the rug on the job.
That might sound irresponsible. And, yes, our intergenerational co-hosts—David, Josh, Betty, Craig—push back on Susan’s advice here and there. The workplace feels fraught today. Accusations of wokeness. Worries about deported coworkers. Surging tariffs.
So, why creative expression in the workplace?
Susan’s advice finds career wisdom in listening closely to your emotions. Your feelings, after all, are your brain’s best guess as to what’s going on in your life. Sometimes it’s ambiguous or wrong! But your brain’s also getting intel that’s easy to overlook. Susan’s own story of career shock may help you make room for art at work—not because you’re an aesthetic genius—but because your body’s emotional wisdom has professional implications.
Susan’s advice also implies a path of political resilience and resistance today. For many working professionals today, it’s a chaotic time. But learning to find peace through artistic expression can help you bear with political uncertainty. I think it can also help you be that paragon of political strength and resistance: doing art can make you laugh. Joy isn’t the only thing our society needs today. But it is one indispensable mode of resistance.
Our podcast conversation doesn’t just offer you advice for how to “shake it off” at work. By making a few simple recommendations, this episode helps you take joy in being a person again.
