As a developer and a creative, you need ways to work better so that you can create more, but what do you do when you hit a seemingly insurmountable mental wall? You need to get unblocked: to bust through that barrier to allow creativity to flow. Beware: this presentation challenges the standard norms around concentration, focus, productivity, and may change how you work…for the better.
59. “You can’t force yourself to
get into (creative) flow, but
you can set the conditions
for it.”
- Ted Neward, “Managers are from Mars, Developers are
from Venus”
64. Evil voices in your head
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4887528060/
65. “If your demons are such
that they fill the room the
instant you contemplate
creating, your studio will be
too dangerous a place to
enter.”
- Eric Maisel, author of Fearless Creating
66. You can’t outrun them
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wester/504925076/
67. Face and ID your Inner Critic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdachialpha/203904103/
82. “Fear is not real. It is a
product of the thoughts you
create.
Do not misunderstand me.
Danger is very real. But fear
is a choice.”
- character of Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith), After
Earth
83. Become a Fear Alchemist
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist.jpg
84. “The goal is to manage
anxiety so that our energies
are used for the productive
and satisfying art of
creating…
91. “Failure is only the
opportunity to begin again
more intelligently.”
- Henry Ford
92. Be bad/make it ugly
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kpwerker/6051104684
93. “If you want a creative life,
do what you can’t and
experience the beauty of
the mistakes that you
make.”
- Marcel Wanders, Designer and “Professional
Amateur” (marcelwanders.com)
95. Change your body, change your mind
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirteenthnile/4546397775/
96. “Our bodies change our
minds, our minds change
our behavior, and our
behavior changes our
outcomes.”
- Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
TED talk
147. • Clarity about & confidence in you
want to achieve
• Level of mastery
• Cleared space; materials on hand
• Time carved out; distractions
eliminated
• Practice in place
The previous steps lead you here:
149. “…the confidence that,
when given a difficult
problem, we have a
methodology that enables
us to come up with a
solution that nobody has
before.”
- David Kelley, Founder of Ideo
150. Ideas are on and poppin’!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7730492@N03/4957946157/
158. “Creativity makes day to day
experiences more vivid, more
enjoyable, more rewarding.
When we live creatively,
boredom is banished and every
moment holds the promise of a
fresh discovery.”
- Mihali Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity
159. It’s how & why I do what I do
Photo: Derek Kearney
160. “The new scarcity: the time,
energy, and brainpower of
bright, creative people.”
-Mary Poppendieck, “Think For Yourself”
161. You’re a precious resource
http://www.flickr.com/photos/siutou_amy/2306794554/
169. Four Secrets to Enhancing Creative Productivity
www.creativebloq.com/inspiration/four-secrets-enhancing-creative-productivity-9126098
Banishing Your Inner Critic
alistapart.com/articles/banishing-your-inner-critic/
Reigniting Your Creative Spark
alistapart.com/articles/reigniting-your-creative-spark/
Breaking the Perfectionism-Procrastination Infinite Loop
webstandardssherpa.com/reviews/breaking-the-perfectionism-procrastination-infinite-loop/
My articles for further reading
170. DeniseJacobs.com
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Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/