Being Seen – Adam Rosendahl – Ep 134

The power dynamics at play in an organization can often make it difficult—if not impossible—to form connections with coworkers and superiors. It’s easy to let prejudices and insecurity get in the way. But an environment of collaboration and trust is key to successful organizations.

The truth is that as macho or hardened as someone seems, we’re all fragile. The human experience is challenging. Compassion and empathy are exceedingly important—yet exceedingly rare.

Adam Rosendahl combines music and art in a group setting that leads to groundbreaking and transformative results: connection between strangers. Everyone has a desperate longing to feel seen and heard.

In our conversation, Adam shares how Late Nite Art combines music, art, and collaboration to bring people together and help them feel seen.

Listen if you are interested in…

• Learn more about Adam’s business, Late Nite Art [2:00]
• How Adam fell in love with collaborative art [11:34]
• Moving people into flow and self-discovery [14:11]
• Adam’s unique artistic process [23:35]
• 2024 Art2Life retreats in Morocco and Mexico [26:38]
• Powerful questions that prompt connection [27:47]
• How art unlocks communication [32:51]
• The direction of Late Nite Art [42:08]
• The biggest lesson Adam’s learned [52:01]

Art is the secret backdoor to connection

Adam Rosendahl created Late Nite Art to help organizations build trust and collaboration quickly. It’s a two-hour process that combines art, music, and curated conversations to interrupt the pattern of “business as usual.” The goal is to turn strangers into friends and create a deeper sense of connection with teams.

Adam believes that “Art is the secret backdoor to connection.” When two people are creating together, it can lead to unexpected conversations and connections. It changes the way people talk to each other.

When you’re working on one piece, and building off of each other’s ideas, you’re letting go of the individual and stepping into a collective mindset: What are we building together? It gets people out of their ego and refocuses them on innovating together.

Adam strives to help people feel seen, heard and understood through his process. Art is an amazing way to reflect who someone is.

Moving people into flow and self-discovery

The music that Adam uses in the background is incredibly important. It’s there to lower barriers between people. Combined with art-making, it melts hierarchy and power. He gives people a step-by-step process that allows them to take small risks. It all culminates in a feeling of success. Creating art together lowers anxiety and moves people toward a flow state.

People are lonely and disconnected in the workplace, very few have a close friend at work. Adam curates meaningful moments between people that disarm them. It helps them build connections quickly. It’s a cathartic experience of being seen that creates real trust. It helps humanize each other beyond titles.

Powerful questions that prompt connection

Adam uses different prompts or themes in every workshop. Getting people to share about an experience when they were children is a fast way to connect them to each other’s humanity.

Late Nite Art has been done in 18 countries. Some of the prompts Adam uses work universally. But Adam also likes to experiment and try new things. He’s had people draw their relationship to wealth or death. He’s had them draw a visual representation of anxiety. Things get provocative quickly.

Now, he orients the workshops around storytelling. He has people draw each other’s stories. Getting people to visualize someone’s story and reflect it back to them leads to a deep connection.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Hear Adam’s origin story in episode #84

Connect with Adam Rosendahl

• Late Nite Art™
• Adam’s Instagram
• Adam’s website

Connect with Nicholas Wilton and Art2Life

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