As a small studio with a sizable workload, it is easy to become entrenched in design and development work. We want to give our all to every project with every client. But creativity and innovation are products of passion, and passion requires plenty of energy and enthusiasm. So, as much as we like to work hard, we have to make time to play hard too! We’d like to share with you some of our favorite activities for reenergizing and bonding in and out of the office.
Eating Together
We love any excuse to get out of the office and into our neighborhood for lunch. We celebrate birthdays, new employees, work anniversaries and other special events by feasting at our favorite SE Portland spots. On these lunch trips we do our best to leave our work at the office, using this time to get to know each other better and talk about our personal lives.
Cheering Together
Although we have quite a few basketball nuts in the office, this year was our first team outing to a Blazers game. For many of us, it was our first Blazers game ever, and the excitement was contagious. Even Lakers fan, Jonathan, was cheering! The Blazers played against the Utah Jazz, and while the game had its tense moments, our home team prevailed with a resounding win.
In the spring and summer, you can find us at a Timbers or Thorns game enjoying sunshine and camaraderie, and getting a little loud as we cheer with the Timbers Army.
Competing Together
While we enjoy cheering together for a local team, we really love competing against each other. Friendly competition has a way of revealing everyone’s true colors, as well as the truth behind any boastful claims.
We regularly challenge one another to office foos games. This is a great opportunity to pull away from the screen for a few minutes and get our energy and adrenaline flowing. At the end of each month we compete for a foos trophy. The winner gets to keep the trophy at his or her desk as a daily reminder of his/her awesomeness.
The Daylight team also occasionally makes trips to nearby Grand Central Bowling for a different kind of competitive fill. We are great designers and developers, but we are not necessarily great bowlers. Although we split into teams, we all tend to cheer for anyone who manages to bowl a strike.
Relaxing Together
Especially in the summer, we look for opportunities to relax together. With the arrival of long, sunny summer days, we open our homes to one another for BBQ’s and potluck dinners. We talk about our favorite television shows, bands we’ve seen lately, amazing hikes, upcoming bike races, and update one another about personal life events. We get to know each other’s pets and families, and simply enjoy each other’s company.
Spending time together outside of work does wonders for our morale and sanity. When we’re having fun together, we’re cultivating camaraderie and enthusiasm, and that positive energy grows and is present while we work. We increase the mutual respect we have for one another and strengthen our relationships, learning how to collaborate better and anticipate each other’s needs. In turn, we put our all into everything we do, imparting that energy and care into every project, with every client.
