Why the name: a dozen eggs?
The idea for a dozen eggs came from a warm-up exercise used by the American choreographer Twyla Tharp. Her book, The Creative Habit, explores the nature of the creative process, not just within the world of dance, but across a vast spectrum of creativity. As Freud said,
When inspiration does not come to me, I go half way to meet it.
Fran & Jo, founders of a dozen eggs, had a lot list of boring, corporate names. They were both reading The Creative Habit book, and came across an exercise titled a dozen eggs. Something about it felt right. It felt like it could attract the right types of clients; ones that appreciated creativity and weren’t too serious! It also began with an ‘A’ which was useful for directories in the early years. Whilst it took a while to get used to, the tone of the name settled well. a dozen eggs was born!
Exercise 13: A dozen eggs. Sit on the floor, bring your knees to your chest, curl your head down to your knees and try to make yourself as small as you can. Once you have folded yourself into an egg shape, you have no choice but to do something expansive. You cannot hold the starting position forever, though you can hold it for as long as you like. Eventually, though, you’ll have to do something. This exercise teaches you how to accomplish the most difficult task in any creative endeavour: begin.