Inspiration Station: Relaxation Nation

We all know how the saying goes: “All work and No Play…”

This is all too true when it comes to a career in the design field. Two Twelve’s fast-paced and demanding environment is what has drawn some of the best designers to this firm. However, every once in awhile it’s imperative to sit back, relax, and just unwind.

As part of our recently re-vamped “Studio Sessions” initiative, we took one afternoon to do just that. The category of this month’s session was “Inspiration Station,” in which we challenged each other to think outside the box and do something creative with our hands, connecting the left and right sides of our brains.

2017 is off to a whirlwind of a start here at Two Twelve. Everyone has been working so hard and producing some amazing work. So, we thought it would be a great opportunity to use this session to focus on relaxation.

After and discussing our own personal relaxation methods, we settled in for a few drawing activities. Studies have shown that drawing and/or handwriting connects with a specific part of your brain tied to memory and creativity. 

First, we got warmed up with some blind contours. For those of you that don’t know, blind contours are drawings in which you only look directly at the subject that you are drawing and attempt to create an accurate representation in a set amount of time. We all sat around our conference table with a clipboard and sharpie in hand. Picking a fellow coworker across the table, we took a few moments to study our subject. As the timer started, giggles ensued. Not only is it a bit strange to hold direct eye contact with a coworker for an extended period of time, but it is a little foreign to attempt to draw without the ability to check your work. When the timer chimed, the results were pretty wild (see below!). Luckily for us, no names were included with the portraits.

Once our brains and hands were warmed up from a few rounds of elegant portraiture, it was time to move onto something a little less structured. 

“Zentangles” are a great way to clear your mind while creating some amazing visuals. Stemming from meditation methods, Zentangles are created by dividing a square into multiple organic segments and simply filling those segments in with various doodle patterns, all while soothing music idles in the background. The quiet concentration mixed with freeform doodling helped to relax and inspire us at the same time. The soothing Hawaiian music didn’t hurt, either!

Overall, the Zentangles are striking by themselves, but look even more amazing when tiled together. At Two Twelve, we pride ourselves on our teamwork—it’s a pillar of our company. It was a great opportunity for us to unwind and relax our minds while still being able to create something collaborative and visually interesting.

Every month we have a different themed event that focuses on team building, design thinking, and breaking the monotony of the dreaded “office routine.” For more about our Studio Sessions initiative at Two Twelve, stay tuned for another blog post coming soon.