if you don’t share something, did it really happen? in this case, yes and no. when we left for our annual team trip and arrived at the sunny and warm Canary Islands, we decided it was time for a break from social media. we wanted to leave mundane worries behind and not think about how many likes our instagram posts had or how many new followers we got that day.
if you ever heard us speaking about our team trips you may have noticed from our tone that it’s a highly anticipated moment for us, but this year we wanted it to be different. we felt like we could one up our past trips and make this one even more special. the moment we decided to disconnect from social media in order to connect with each other as a team, everything changed.
this trip was a very personal one, very magical and intimate. we had wine and silence and the new moon and shooting stars above us while we sat in a circle, watching each member of the team go up to the center while the others spoke about what they admired about them. we also wrote little notes to each other (we call them sugar cubes) we could only open after we left, so everyone would take some of that energy home. we wrote letters to ourselves about what we hoped for 2019, much like the letters we wrote last year that we opened and could reflect on the year we had.
to make sure we would resist the urge to be sneaking out our phones just to post pictures, we spread out some disposable cameras through the house we were staying, so we could capture these moments in a truly candid, genuine way. being disconnected helped us live this trip in its entirety — focusing and working when we needed, but having fun when we could (which, when you come to think of it, was all the time we were together).
we left the Canary Islands feeling completely connected as a group, a team and as friends. we were able to recharge and plan our next steps and we’re ready to take on 2019.
to end this on a personal note, Ijuí, one of our artists and an amazing storyteller (you’ll see what we mean), wrote down a few words about how he felt during our trip. we want to share this feeling with you:
“we were 12 people sitting on 11 sun loungers arranged in a circle, with a wicker stool in the middle. we had white wine, candles and blankets. above us, a dark sky magically ripped by shooting stars and birds.
the scenery was really beautiful. aesthetically charming. as if it was already planned. if you believe in magic and energy, the moment could not be more perfect.
sitting on this ritualistic circle, the 12 members of EAT. each one of us took turns to go to the center of the circle and sit on that wobbly stool, listening in complete silence to what each one of us had to say about what we admired about each other. only nice things. inspiring things.
this was Julie’s idea. the goal was to strengthen our self esteem and heal us from the emotional bruises 2018 may have left us. there were no phones around, no music, nothing but us and the silence that gave the moment a sort of dramatic tone I only saw in movies. we were open and exposing ourselves to understand in a completely human way what goes on in our personal and professional lives.
this is the fourth year we meet to spend a week together and materialize our modern relationship. always on a different place in the world. this romantic and symbolic idea definitely represents our lifestyle. this year’s meeting was on the Canary Islands. there was sun, palm trees, diving in the pool, talking and a lot of work.
besides being coworkers, we’re also personal friends. we all work together on the same company but with a curious detail: we all work basically alone. each one in their own way and lifestyle. with no judgements. some live in Brazil, others in the US, others in Portugal and so on. I live in Germany.
we’re connected through technology and apps, but also by the need of knowing how to be trustworthy, useful and responsible.
the moment I leave the center of the circle, another person sits down. and so, one by one, the circle comes to a close. behind every person, a different story, different interests but one dream in common.
at the end of the day, that’s EAT.
we’re building something that may not be unique, but is ours. something of immeasurable value.”
