You know what it feels like to be “in your zone”. This zone isn’t just a place; it’s a state of mind, right? When we see creativity and productivity around us, it’s inspiring, and it makes us strive for more of it ourselves.

Why would YouTube spend millions of dollars on an exercise room, putting green, karaoke hall and swimming pool for its employees?

Why would Redbull install “spacepod” creative offices in its London building?

What prompted Google to develop an aquarium lounge where employees can relax?

When you’re staring at a computer screen for ten hours every day, it’s easy to zone out, difficult to zone in. If employees feel like they can scoot by without generating creative ideas, very often, they will. Moreover, most companies realize the impact office environment has on their employees: if an employee enjoys his workspace and can move around freely to innovate, he may well spend more hours each day in the office. One who doesn’t like his environment? He’s in at 9 and out at 5.

But the physical office environment is only a small piece of what inspires this “exponential creativity”, as I like to call it (creativity breeding creativity). Collaboration – being around other creative people and innovating together – sparks invention. We all know that feeling of being stuck in a “dry spell” creatively. For me, I feed off of the energy and success of others around me. If I don’t feel that a team’s work is going places, I check out mentally and emotionally, and I just don’t want to be a part of that endeavor.

There’s a great verse in the Bible, Proverbs 27:17. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We can feed off of each other’s energy and passion. I certainly do!

I believe in Omnific’s ability to cultivate a creative environment. It’s easy to wait on someone else to inspire us, but I like to step out and get the creativity started. What can you do to get the cycle of creativity going where you work? Have at it!

What do you think? Let me know here, or shoot me an @ reply on Twitter.