Unfolding Your Brain - AdobeMax 2013

UnFolding Your Brain

Denise R. Jacobs AdobeMax Los Angeles, CA 6 May 2013

Catapult Your Creative Productivity!

For the Twitters I am: @denisejacobs This fine event: @adobemax #adobemax I’m talking about ways to: #unfoldyourbrain

Photos: Denise Jacobs and Stefan Nietzsche

Some little-known facts about me:

I’ve always loved to create, but…

But I was still afraid: am I truly creative?

Photo: Denise Jacobs

After writing this…

I had an epiphany

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4055814772/

In terms of

http://www.flickr.com/photos/designandtechnologydepartment/4771136128/

We all hold the power

http://www.flickr.com/photos/assbach/267598910/

My work: to facilitate access & process

Used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629076165/

Intro Is this all there is?

Office-bound

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewf/393637161/

Managers

Bureaucracy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749431435/

Adds up to

http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/__62375#img9

Oppressed

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johannahobbs/2412291551/

“Houston, we have a problem…”

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S70-34902.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plindberg/33867829/

Most important tool for creativity?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APSM_V14_D495_Side_view_of_the_brain_and_spinal_cord.jpg

This one!

Your brain’s status?

Because you feel like this?

And/or like this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmcamposjr/3630714365/

Our brains could be like this instead

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1eRPzp-nsRo/Tev0hqraxtI/AAAAAAAASDY/xs8YEgb4op4/s1600/beetle.jpg

When creativity is flowing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgeithner/5290115839/

We are alchemists

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faust_image_19thcentury.jpg

And while it feels like magic

http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/2761300969/

“Creativity is magical, but is not magic.”

- Dr. Charles Limb, “Your Brain on Improvisation” TED talk

Remember, however

“Creativity is newness produced.”

- Sir Ken Robinson, Out of Our Minds

If we understand the mechanisms

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mag3737/304687602/

Something consistent; can be counted upon

Photo: Denise Jacobs

To share concepts, ideas, and tips for practices that help to better leverage your brain to catapult your creative productivity so that you can work better and create more!

My objective:

To be able to reach this!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7730492@N03/4958540694/

Our Goals

1 Emancipate 2 Adjust 3 Practice 4 Generate 5 Innovate 6 Produce

1 emancipate

Distractions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksherman/539896911/

Busyness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wester/504925076/

Multitasking

It’s bad, mkay?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/3041235238/

Zeigarnik Effect

http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Zeigarnik_Effect

Communication addiction

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersdenken/2082816707/

Intermittent reinforcement

The monsters in your head

http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4887528060/

“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, Fearless Creating

“False Evidence Appearing Real”

or, alternatively,

“F*ck Everything And Run!”

F.E.A.R. =

“The goal is to manage anxiety so that our energies are used for the productive and satisfying art of creating, rather than the destructive and debilitating art of self-torture.”

- Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution

Fear of failure

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717325940/

“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”

- Dr. Edwin Land, The Instant

Image: Edwin Land and the Polaroid Experience

Inner Critic

Photo: Denise Jacobs

Impostor Syndrome

Impostor Syndrome Paradox

http://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/2279939232/

Comparisons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kharied/3315558702/

Procrastination

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irrezolut/2311904560/

Perfectionism

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diepuppenstubensammlerin/7648792510/

Isolation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktylerconk/2324862289/

2 Adjust

Train your brain

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiarescott/3211540197/

Left v. Right brain

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47691521@N07/4639590640/

Left hemisphere

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smittenkittenoriginals/4451172538/

Right hemisphere

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorelei-ranveig/2294885580/

“The parts of your brain that are responsible for self-monitoring are literally turned off during creative endeavors….Creative people have mastered the art of turning off [the inhibitive] part of their brains to let their ideas flow more smoothly, unleashing their imagination.”

- Tina Seelig, InGenius

Lower cognitive filters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiba/483626169/

What are our brains constantly producing?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44568283@N02/4097561067/

Know your Brainwaves

Alpha: the gateway to creativity

Be mindful

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eldave/3065425105/

Engage in mindless activity

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabi/2499381396/

Showers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3761878381/

Daydream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzylittlemanpeach/4633972431/

Get physical

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miguel77/2728104156/

“When your brain is supposedly doing nothing, it’s really doing a tremendous amount.”

– Marcus Raichle, Neurologist

Unplug and take“Lo-fi” time

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2682666460/

Leverage biophilia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/verifex/3782787057/

Thoughts on fear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY

“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

Become a Fear Alchemist

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist.jpg

Negative Stress > Eustress

http://www.flickr.com/photos/avantgame/2323853965/

Reframe #FAIL

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717326642/

Take ourselves less seriously

Laughter heals fears (& activates R-brain)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanchongzi/3545537282/

3 Practice

Exercise discipline

http://www.flickr.com/photos/supersonicphotos/5300957205/

Focus on meaningful tasks

http://www.43folders.com/2008/09/01/what-are-you-doing

Show up everyday

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliseporter/2315794956/

Clean-up habit fields

http://www.flickr.com/photos/risager/3452272176/

Habit what?

http://alistapart.com/article/habit-fields

Manage time

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paolocampioni/2168286027/

Say NO to Distractions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideon/6582069/

Single-task

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33498942@N04/6009639079/

RescueTime.com

GetConcentrating.com

Pomodoro Technique

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucamascaro/4975166968/

Airplane mode

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieterouwerkerk/699475144/

Delegate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/3645313261/

Work standing up

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rknight/2645099486/

Why? Because

http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/sitting-kills/

4 Generate

Start the flow of ideas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/international-festival/3018718331/

Look for problems to solve (or create them)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/4441693270/

Art students were given 27 eclectic objects and were instructed to select a few and arrange a still life and draw it. Some examined relatively few objects, outlined their idea swiftly, and moved quickly to draw their still life. Others took their time: handled more objects, turned them this way and that, rearranged them several times, and needed much longer to complete the drawing.

It appeared as if the first group was trying to solve a problem: How can I produce a good drawing? Whereas the second was trying to find a problem: What good drawing can I produce?

The problem-finders’ drawings had been ranked much higher in creativity than the problem-solvers’. Ten years later, the problem-finders had all gone on to be professional artists, while the problem-solvers had left the art world.

Another decade later, the problem-finders were “significantly more successful — by the standards of the artistic community — than their peers.”

A study on problem-finding and creativity

Create a inspiring macro environment

Inspiring micro-environments

http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/6162309101/

Change environments

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/3475417696/

Start generating

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathb/3933087930/

Capture ideas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosengrant/3637839874/

Write them down

http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitlinator/2826079915/

Sketch them out

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoze04/4890376021/

Talk them out (& record it)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/3641402489/

Embrace disruption

Photo: Denise Jacobs

Gather and curate your ideas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmanviz/3181410714/

Evernote Pinterest.com Delicious.com Flickr.com Trello.com Zootool.com Gimmebar.com

Dropr.com Diigo Tumblr Imgspark.com Scrnshots.com Vi.sualize.us Emberapp.com

Tools to do so

5 Innovate

Do it with others

http://www.flickr.com/photos/u-suke/5668302030/

Immerse yourself in diverse environments

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shirinwiniger/3680885289/

Avoid sameness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dahlstroms/3774973833/

Incubate to generate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrymaya/480057790/

The source of great ideas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarianavengers/2495352933/

Brainstorming

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andymangold/4455910733/

Bring brilliance together

http://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/4436484250/

Invite others to wonder with you

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakecaptive/47065720/

Share ideas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcmetroblogger/3861295403/

Share mistakes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilt/26322670/

Co-work to collaborate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeemick/5106610355/

Engage in parallel play

Photo: Denise Jacobs

Improvisation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roel1943/5740295789/

Plus it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66568868@N00/6032481145/

Proper tools to capture ideas

Photo courtesy of Post-it Brand & 3M

6

Produce

Tinker

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenturamon/83083170/

Prototype

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindmob/292609444/

Iterate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciousblur/4165405018/

•  observe •  suggest •  tinker •  review •  apply feedback •  reiterate

The d.school production process

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfear/289257055/

The stage is set for Flow

Flow?

•  Concept in mind: knowing what you want to achieve and what it looks like

•  Necessary materials on hand •  Cleared space •  Time carved out and distractions

eliminated •  Practice in place

All of the previous steps lead you here:

Epilogue Liberation

Previously

http://www.flickr.com/photos/generated/2084287794/

Moving forward

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pulpolux/3317141795/

(Re)Gain Creative Confidence

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4055807492/

“…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 of Ideo

…which is

Joyfulness in work

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rvm_71/5011353192/

Ideas are on and poppin’!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7730492@N03/4957946157/

Cavalier creativity

AleitaAndre.com

Change Thinking > Change Habits > Change Results

http://starchild07.deviantart.com/art/Brainwaves-44238823

Value yourself, ideas, and process

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pocait/2847866615/

Creativity will take off!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Shuttle_Endeavour_launches_on_STS-99.jpg

The End…?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/232100469/

delicious.com/denisejacobs/unfoldyourbrain

delicious.com/denisejacobs/creativityhabit

delicious.com/denisejacobs/brainoncreativity

Always being updated as I find new relevant articles!

Resources!

My articles for further reading netmagazine.com/features/ four-secrets-enhancing-creative-productivity alistapart.com/articles/ reigniting-your-creative-spark/ alistapart.com/articles/ banishing-your-inner-critic/

My books!

The CSS Detective Guide CSSDetectiveGuide.com

InterAct With Web Standards

InterActWithWebStandards.com

My chapter: “Learning with the

Web”

Smashing Books #3 & #3 1/3 SmashingBook.com

My chapter: “The Missing Element of Redesign: Story”

Cover art thanks to Americo Morales

AmericoMorales.com

DeniseJacobs.com

denise@denisejacobs.com

twitter.com/denisejacobs

facebook.com/denisejacobsdotcom

slideshare.net/denisejacobs

Your Creativity Evangelist Extraordinaire

Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/

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And finally

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27620885@N02/2609974180/i