Rubin Fortunato Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month by Engaging in Creativity
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May 9, 2025
During Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re reminded of the fact that creativity and good mental health go hand in hand. Taking a break is important, but stretching our minds with new challenges is even more beneficial. A study from the American Psychiatric Association found that “Americans who engage in creative activities at least weekly report better mental health.”
With that idea in mind, we’ve been encouraging our employees to take creativity breaks by providing an Odd Pieces 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and Foldology origami puzzles in our break room. Creative breaks don’t take employees away from their daily work for long periods of time, but the time spent away is incredibly beneficial for finding new solutions and approaching challenges in a more creative way.
Additionally, in lieu of a full-agenda monthly meeting, we moved in a different direction for May by spending time engaging in the Marshmallow Challenge, developed by Peter Skillman and popularized by Tom Wujec. For the challenge, we broke into small groups and equipped each group with a yard of string, a yard of masking tape, 20 sticks of spaghetti, and one marshmallow. The goal for the challenge is simple: in 18 minutes, build the tallest free-standing structure possible to support the marshmallow placed on top. While the goal is simple, our teams found that the challenge wasn’t as easy as they initially expected. We learned about teamwork, collaboration, and creative thinking while working together on a common goal.
The challenge has been performed by students of all ages – from kindergartners to MBA students – and by CEOs across many industries. Surprisingly, the kindergartners nearly always outperform their adult counterparts due to their willingness to engage in creative play and their “beginner’s mind” approach. As mindfulness expert Jack Kornfield explains, “When we are free from views, we are willing to learn.”
