Last year (Oct 2012), I learned something when I went on vacation with my wife to NYC for my birthday…

 

We ran into some friends.

 

We ate at amazing restaurants.

 

We cheered on some friends in a contest. Then we just explored the city.

 

I wasn’t consumed with daily tasks of work, and my mind was free to wander.

 

While being free to wander, creativity hopped back in my brain.
• I came up with some ideas that we hope to implement in a new restaurant we’re working with.
• I also refined our process for branding. First go at it, we presented to 5 decision makers with different roles and backgrounds – and they all agreed on the direction with no changes!
• Overall, I became inspired to do better work and push myself beyond my comfortable boundaries.

 

Starting this year, we’re taking mandatory vacations every quarter.

 

Everyone will get $100, and are free to do whatever they want.
When we return, we’ll share with each other what we did and if we learned anything or became inspired. If anyone did or didn’t, it doesn’t really matter… I believe breaks to clear our minds are invaluable to create better work.

 

The studio will close down this Thursday-Sunday, Feb 21-24th of 2013.