Equanimity

A print design for stress relief in interior spaces

CONCEPT

From tremendous work loads from remote working and having to reinvent the work-life balance to college students navigating a post-Covid world, adults in our country are no stranger to stressors. It’s easy to forget to give our brains a break from the incessant stream of to-do’s and the never ending scroll of the internet. It’s easier than ever for anxiety to creep into our daily life. An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives.

In a world full of screens, researchers have found that even simply viewing photos of a natural space can allow your brain and nervous system an opportunity to de-escalate. When given a photo of a green space, be it a field, a garden, a forest, or another, people have proven to bounce back from feelings of anxiety at a faster rate than someone who was given a photograph of a city. When we feel anxiety our parasympathetic nervous system kicks into high gear, fending off the physical reaction and feelings of fight or flight that often accompany bouts of anxiety. To counter those intense feelings, professionals often recommend mindfulness practices and grounding techniques to bring our thoughts back to the present moment, instead of getting caught up in the snowball effect of nervousness. Consuming those relaxing nature-based images proves to activate our parasympathetic nervous systems, increasing the speed at which we can recover from stress. One especially effective type of organic imagery is the naturally-occurring, never-ending pattern referred to as fractals. Fractals can be either naturally occurring or derived mathematically, either way, they can be defined as a detailed pattern that looks similar at any scale and repeats itself. 

From romanesco broccoli, to nautilus sea shells, to the Mandel Brot Set, fractals are all around us. The predictability of the patterns, in accompaniment with their intricacies, prove to be good tools for mindfulness. An exercise of our attention which helps us to ground ourselves in the present moment. I wanted to design a pattern which implements the findings of these researchers, combining a rich green color palette and fractal patterns so the resulting textile could be used as a mindfulness tool for consumers. Whether applied to pillows, window treatments, or wallpaper, this pattern could find its home in a home office, business space, or even a therapist’s office. A beautiful, but useful way to center ourselves and find our footing in our fast-paced culture. A visual reprieve from our to-do list.