Stand and Deliver!
You know the saying, “creativity never sleeps.” Well, it’s true. There’s no such thing as a 9 to 5 job when you’re a designer. “Work” means exploring a bottomless trough of ideas while forgetting to move, eat, and in some instances, go to the bathroom. We are in creation mode day and night, hunched over our computers with poor posture until we’ve satisfied every creative possibility. Occupational hazard? Yes! Our job requires us to be stationary — frozen in contemplation and affixed to a screen for hours and hours on end. Ouch.
Years ago, we heard about the benefits of standing at work. We read up on the topic and learned that standing increases energy, tones muscles, increases blood flow, and reduces fatigue. Studies showed that standing at work gave people more energy and helped to get the creative juices flowing. SOLD!
We looked into all the new standing desk products and found that the cost was prohibitive. As much as we loved the idea, it simply wasn’t in the budget. Sadly, our wellness initiative took a backseat until one day, Benjamin had a brilliant idea. “We should just make them ourselves,” he recommended. A great idea it was but still, I needed to be fiscally responsible. I asked him to put a budget together in order for me to consider the investment to the studio. (For the sake of our clients, we’re frugal!) He submitted the cost for materials and a decision was made instantly.
In less than two hours, we had three standing desks assembled and ready to roll. It was that easy!
Here’s what we did:
At The Container Store, we found simple white shoe racks that happen to be the perfect size and shape to elevate our key boards and mice. They also feature a shelf that comes in handy. They’re available in a slightly smaller size at Target, too (only $12!).
We found some old boxes to elevate our monitors (cost: zilch). My eye doctor said the monitor should be placed so that the center is at exact eye level. This height will reduce eye strain and it prevents both hunching and neck-craning. That’s good for your back, too!
Put the monitor on top of the box. Put the shoe rack on your desk. DONE! If you don’t like your box, you can always decorate it or cover it with your favorite MGD orange fabric, like I did. Benjamin prefers a lean, minimalistic approach to his desk set-up.
In just three easy steps, you can be free of back pain, fully energized and just as healthy and constantly creative as Vicki, who’s pictured here at her favorite standing desk.
We hope our inexpensive creativity has inspired you!
