The constant pressure and stress of everyday life are demanding on us. It beats us down and wears out our bodies of energy reserves. Inevitably, we need to turn off and stop because we all have a set capacity for how much we can take. These ‘release valves’ may materialize in many different ways like food/drink, vacation, and entertainment. This is a natural part of the process for everyone, but what if there were an alternative?
It is easy to see how stress can build up during a day. We only have so much energy and capacity for pressure during the day as humans. The amount we can take may vary by person, but it is limited and at some point, it needs to be recharged. For most, this means sleep, relaxing, and/or enjoying something. The natural progression tends to then repeat.
We are starting to understand this and see how everything adds up in our daily stresses. It can start early if you hit one too many red lights or you bruise a hip running into the sharp corner of a table. The design is an important part of our lives and this field has always been focusing on building around our busy lives to make them efficient.
Efficiency isn’t everything though because it has shown to simply allow for more work to be done in one day. Even the most efficient design tends to just do a better job of wearing us out. So, beyond efficiency, designers have begun working towards creating beautiful areas because it encourages people to be there. Designing areas, rooms, and whole buildings can be an art in and of itself, but I believe there is yet another step that can be taken.
The marrying of art and design is an important progression. It helps to put together a vision of what modern design should be in creating efficient and beautiful workplaces combined with complimenting art. If, for example, a company centered around the outdoors is looking to design their workplace for offices they should consult both a professional designer and art director to work in tandem. The workplace should represent efficiency, a beauty that encourages productivity, and a nature-inspired selection of art.
A great example of a place that is designed around efficiency that is now recognizing how important it is to have art and other beautiful elements are airports. Good art can recharge the soul of the individuals who see it. It can represent something more important than the piece it represents, creating a lasting impact on our minds. Most importantly, quality fine art will cause a near-meditative state that lets you be more relaxed and relieve stress constantly.
So, while we all have stress, pressure, and challenges to overcome every day there are ways to work around them. Through bringing design and art together we might be able to continually achieve a more balanced workspace that we can better manage whatever life throws at us. Also, while you are here, buy more art!