White Space

Frontend CH Conference∙ Zürich, Switzerland 28 August 2014

Denise R. Jacobs

@denisejacobs

@frontendconfch #fec14

#whitespacecreate

Wait…what?!

Photo: Denise Jacobs Photo: Derek Kearney

THE CANVAS The State of the Create

How do you feel in the creative flow?

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

We are alchemists

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

It feels like

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

Creativity is magical, but it is not magic.” - Dr. Charles Limb, Your Brain on Improvisation TED talk

However, this happens

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7693102@N07/2536807562/

We have this amazing tool

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

Time

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33909700@N02/3159761620/

Attention

http://www.flickr.com/photos/copperfeesh/147493122/

Focus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdachialpha/203904103/

You run into road blocks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99301367@N00/8497106802/

Can’t access all of your great ideas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/

GIVE & TAKE Creativity and Power

We’re powerful

Instead of using it fully

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/3310336516/

Try to contain it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gc_photography/4662878037/

Or give it away

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6D-O5ECr5EUow5jrck2A2A

By doubting ourselves

http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5445602998/

GIVE & TAKE Distracting Complications

Internal focus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boojee/4457378697/

Look outside ourselves

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtcatbagan/1557200142/

Addicted to hyperconnectivity

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

Intermittent reinforcement

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jepoirrier/422469526/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristoferbjorkman/6910216819/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreignoffice/2671039488/

Hyperconnectivity gives us the perception of getting more done. It makes us feel like we're doing more, because we're using every free moment of every waking hour.” - Jonathan Fields

Distractions

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

Unclosed mental loops

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

Overwhelmed

http://www.flickr.com/photos/freeflyer09/7574540716/

Afraid?

Photo: Denise Jacobs

All over the place

http://www.flickr.com/photos/figliodiorfeo/2393269886/

Channeling this power

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Creation_of_Adam_(Michelangelo)_Detail.jpg

What if

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogil/1507585665/

From thinking

Photo: Derek Kearney

To creating

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spyndle/474122586/

Is not in “doing”?...

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

Something else?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djgarage/3680441291/in/photostream/

Genius is the offspring of the in-between.” - Jonathan Fields

The in-between

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aguslepe/5512044294/

GIVE & TAKE Creating and the Focus Paradox

Maximize

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cblue98/7254347346/

A balanced brain

http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=left%20brain%20right%20brain&order=9&offset=48#/d10qlpq

Integrate

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

Neurons firing well

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

Know your Brainwaves

Alpha: the gateway to Creativity

Being prone

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snazzy54/4581347651/

Spacing out

http://www.flickr.com/photos/frinthy/4680321558/

Daydream

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

Mindless activity

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

Showers

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

Cross-channel movement

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

Refocus through breath

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guiniveretoo/1573049301/

Laughing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wickenden/3644297054/

Playing/Fun

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kkendall/3613416741/

When you are playful, you are activating the right side of your brain. The logical brain is a limited brain. The right side is unlimited. You can (do and ) be anything you want.” - Madan Kataria, The Laughter Guru

Instead of this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielsilliman/4489863368/

When your brain is supposedly doing nothing, it’s really doing a tremendous amount.” – Marcus Raichle, Neurologist

Intend Alpha

http://uniteunderfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Brain-waves.jpg

GIVE & TAKE Aid from the Unseen

Sometimes dabbling in mysticism can be a fun way to understand and solve a problem.” - Carl King, So You’re a Creative Genius, Now What?

Natalie

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barretthall/3036598475/

From the mind of a 4 year old

Photo courtesy of Laura Bohill (@LauRARbee)

A little help from our (imaginary) friends

Travel our internal lands

http://archivingthecity.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/maps_of_the_imagination.jpg

Your subconscious

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Themuse.jpg

One form of a genius…

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Albert_Einstein%2C_by_Doris_Ulmann.jpg

Another form of a genius

Daemon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_fish_(The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)#Babel_fish

Muses

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:NAMA_3_Muses.jpg

Mneme – Memory Melete – Practice or occasion Aoide – Voice

The Three Original Muses

Muses were thought to be the true speakers for whom an artist is merely the mouthpiece. Muses were also thought to inspire people to do their best.

Mneme (Memory)

Photo: Denise Jacobs

Melete (Practice/Occasion)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kayray/4069381837/

Aoide (Voice)

Photo: Denise Jacobs

The spirit of the idea

http://www.flickr.com/photos/generated/3152875826/

Ideas want to take form

The world is being circled by ideas and creativity that wants to made manifest and are looking for portals to come through…” - Elizabeth Gilbert

Ideas use us (not vise-versa)

Listen

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theory/3193684688/

Converse

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tojosan/181249465/

Trust is everything.” - Scott Berkun, The Year Without Pants

Voila!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bohman/174718774/

GIVE & TAKE How will you move forward?

The choice is yours

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasoneppink/80772661/

How you use your creative brain power

“Untitled” by Americo Morales

Creative flow lies in-between

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

True.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stealingsand/5563317146/

Reclaim our power

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8216666102/

The future is now

http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/6005503875/

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

Leverage white space

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdoublew/2663137942/

The End…?

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

delicious.com/denisejacobs/white space creativity delicious.com/denisejacobs/getunblocked delicious.com/denisejacobs/unfoldyourbrain delicious.com/denisejacobs/creativityhabit delicious.com/denisejacobs/brainoncreativity Always being updated as I find new relevant articles! “Great Resources” almost daily: @denisejacobs on Twitter

Resources!

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

My articles for further reading

And the most recent:

webstandardssherpa.com/reviews/breaking-the-perfectionism-procrastination-infinite-loop/

Breaking the Perfectionism-Procrastination Infinite Loop

Art & Inspiration: Americo Morales

“Untitled 1” Mind map AmericoMorales.net

How to find me

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

DeniseJacobs.com

denise@denisejacobs.com

Twitter.com/denisejacobs

Facebook.com/denisejacobsdotcom

Slideshare.net/denisejacobs

THE CREATIVE DOSE A Creativity + Innovation Collective

“Untitled” by Americo Morales

Denise Jacobs, Founder + Creativity Evangelist

Creative Thinking & Problem-solving Design Thinking

Cultivating & Applying an Innovation Mindset Creative Collaboration

Team Communication & Cohesion

TheCreativeDose.com – Coming September 2014 (yay!)

THANK YOU!