Share your bad ideas

Seeing is believing. Sometimes the path to resolution, and evolution, of an idea means sharing your bad ideas. Yours and the clients. Sharing the good and bad,  and soliciting responses, will tune your understanding of what is important to someone.

At some point a client will ask you to do something that you think is a bad idea and, despite your genius, the best thing to do is to show them what they ask for. Worst case scenario: you discover that you’re not the genius you thought you were. Best case: the client sees first-hand that their idea doesn’t work and they trust you more. In either case you’ll learn a little more about the project by embracing the request and trying it out.

This doesn’t need to be a source of stress. If you’re working with a new client budget for iteration. It will improve the quality of your work and make your clients happier.

Find a mentor

I learned this one from Tony Robbins: find a mentor, or a model, and put yourself in their shoes. Whatever it is that you do there's going to be someone you can learn from. Find that person and connect with them.

You don’t need to become a stalker but figure out what it is about them that allows them to do what they do. Is it a state of mind? A natural gift? Do they have some practice that you can adopt to improve your game?

This relationship can take any number of shapes: an actual teacher, a friendship, an email correspondence, an internship, etc. The point is to interact with people who inspire you, people who push you to excel. If you're the best person in the room it’s really easy to plateau but if you hang with people who have the thing(s) you want you’re much more likely to figure out how to get what they have.

Fear the pie (in the sky)

Creativity is fueled by constraints. The challenge is finding the right amount of information to get you started but not so much that you have no room to explore. Imagine sitting down to start a painting with no idea what you’re going to do. Then imagine sitting down to paint having made the decision to paint a duck. The second scenario immediately triggers associations and it’ll be faster to get into a state of creative flow.

If you’re working with a client who says ‘do whatever you like’ plan for extra revisions. You’ll soon find out that they’re aren’t actually okay with you doing anything. They just didn’t know what they wanted until they had something to react to. 

Learn how to interview clients, and yourself, to establish the right amount of enabling constraints. If you aren't doing that now, try it, it will save you time down the road.

Don't try to be cool

At some point someone is going to ask you to make something cool. When that happens ask them what ‘cool’ means then watch them mumble and say things like, “You know...cool. Like (fill in the name of a product/band/book/designer/illustrator/etc).”

It’s a ridiculously broad term that actually defies meaning unless you know the audience and in whose voice you should be judging cool. It means different things to different people. What is cool to a gun nut might be very different from what is cool to an 8-year old girl. But you can get more nuanced: What is cool to a gun nut might be different from what is cool to someone into cars. Until you know the audience you won’t understand the term.

And it’s not just ‘cool’. Words like cool, weird, sexy, dark, vintage, etc all need deeper explanation. Flag vague language and get specific.

Embrace the pain

We all love the hero myth. The tale of the underdog who struggles through pain and obstacles to achieve a goal is universally inspiring but when we encounter that pain for ourselves it becomes a different story. But it’s through challenges that we realize our values, shape our opinions and sharpen our skills.

There are all kinds of pain and the better you become at welcoming it with open arms the faster you’ll grow. I’m not saying you should become a masochist but you should be prepared to accept a challenge. This could be the pain of daily practice, asking for critical feedback or the real pain of pushing yourself physically. If it was easy everyone would do it.

Become the friend who tells it like it is. Tell people when they have spinach in their teeth and expect them to do the same for you.

Take a walk

If you hit the wall, find yourself getting overly attached to ideas or resisting feedback it’s time to step away. Distance improves your perspective and calms your nerves. Research creativity and a couple scenarios come up over and over again. People get ideas while showering and while taking a walk.

Stepping away from my computer is the one tool that I’ve used every single day for the past 20 years. I discovered this tool when I was a political cartoonist and it became an essential tool that I’ve incorporated into my workflow. It’s that valuable.

I’ll start by feeding my brain with research and then I’ll take a walk and let my mind wander. While walking I’m more likely to make connections between ideas and more freely plan my next steps. Whether I need the break or not I take a walk religiously every day in the mid-afternoon.

Feedback: Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process

Giving and receiving feedback is one of those things that's easy to recognize when it’s done well but few of us have a structure for it. Crazy since it's something we do every day. Liz Lerman’s is the first of a few feedback models that I’m going to feature. Try it out.

Each participant has a role (the Artist, the Respondees and the Facilitator) and the process has four steps:

1. Statement of meaning by the group. Each Respondee shares what is meaningful, evocative or interesting about the work being critiqued.
2. Questions by the writer for the group. The Artist asks specific questions of the Respondees.
3. Questions by the group for the writer. Respondees ask the Artist neutral questions about the work.
4. Opinions. Respondees offer opinions about the work.

Redheads have more fun

This is for all the character designers out there. It’s not a tool so much as an observation. If you’re designing a female character be aware of the temptation to make her a redhead.

Your thought process will go something like this, “Brunette’s are so serious and I don’t want to alienate blonds. Then again, blonds invite all kinds of stereotypes. How about a redhead? If she's sassy she'll have red hair but if she's normal, like a mom, maybe just brown hair with red highlights.”

Watch almost any Western animated movie or TV show and the female lead will be a redhead or she’ll have brown hair with red highlights. Once you see the pattern you notice it everywhere and it’s weird. Supporting characters will have other hair colors but it’s likely the protagonist will have red, brown or reddish-brown hair.

The Ninety-Ninety Rule

The Ninety-Ninety Rule is attributed to Tom Cargill of Bell Labs and states the following: "The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time."

The quote was made in relation to computer programming but one of the underlying themes of Tools not Rules is that the concepts translate across disciplines. These ideas work for illustrators, designers, bakers, musicians, dancers and more. The Ninety-Nintey rule is no exception.

That first big push, coming up with the ideas and laying the groundwork is the easy part. Wrapping up everything, polishing the idea so it’s ready for world is the hardest part and the push for the final 10% of a project can often take half, or more, of your production time.

The Communication Hydra

There’s a communication model that says anytime two people are speaking there are actually six people involved:

1. Who you are
2. Who you think you are
3. Who they think you are
4. Who they are
5. Who they think they are
6. Who you think they are

While it’s not practical to keep all these influences in mind during a conversation it is a useful tool to develop empathy, contextualize feedback and anticipate the needs of creative partners, friends, family, etc. As you get to know someone these six personalities reconcile but in most relationships it is the blend of identities that represent who we are and how we see the people around us.

Yo dog, you’re not stoned, you’re multitasking.

People just aren’t good at multitasking. Not only are multitaskers bad at filtering incorrect information but, on average, multitasking drops accessible IQ by 10 pts. In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, discovered that workers who juggled messages and work suffered the equivalent of missing a night's sleep and up to double the 4-point drop seen after smoking marijuana.

What can you do? Protect your state of creative flow. Do one think at a time. Prioritize in the morning. Don't use IM or auto notifications while working. Fight the urge to compulsively check email, Facebook and your phone. 

Another bummer: Listening to music while working reduces productivity when the music has lyrics and your work relates to language (like speaking or writing emails).

On a positive note, naps boost productivity.

Convert details into goals

Ever been frustrated by feedback that’s too specific? You can’t always rely on others to provide useful critique. It’s up to you to get information that you can use, to shift conversation from details to goals. When feedback isn't helpful dig for more information. Find out what that detail represents to the person. Don’t blame others for not communicating well. Help them be helpful. Become an alchemist, it's a portable skill worth developing. 

Example:
Client: Make that button blue.
You: Hmmm...why do you think the button should be blue?
Client: I don’t know. I just like blue.
You: Why? What do you like about blue?
Client: I don’t know...it’s like the sky or water. It’s calming.
You: I see, you’re goal is to make this calming. How much room do I have to explore other ideas that have this same effect?

Throw away your work

Any creative pursuit can test your Buddha nature. To make something special you need to get excited about an idea but be prepared to throw it away. Respond to your work as it’s in progress. Try something, react and either build on that idea or toss it. Every final design should be the result of dozens of these decisions.

Probably 90% of my work as a designer is thrown away. Does that mean I’m a failure because I don’t have a 100% track record? No, it means I’m constantly evaluating and adjusting my vision as its taking shape.

The thing I had in my head is almost never the thing I end up producing and I find that keeping my vision locked on a singular goals makes my ideas fragile. Fragile ideas are not inherently bad, just be prepared to break them.

Practice non attachment and make it part of your process.

Become a Fixer

This term came from my friend, the gifted composer, Paul Dinletir. A Fixer is someone who gets things done. Simple as that.

Manager's fantasize that every employee will be a Fixer. Entrepreneurs need to be Fixers by necessity.

A Fixer doesn't care where the good ideas come from and they'll use them without getting jealous, defensive or insecure. No task is too big or too small. They see a gap and they fill it. They anticipate what needs to get done. If they finish their work early they'll help their teammates even if it means doing something that is outside of their skillset or below their pay-grade.

I'm sure you know a Fixer, they're recognizable because they're a pleasure to work with. It doesn't mean they're weak or that conflict won't happen with them but they can set aside their ego to get things done.

Take it to the gutter

Don't overthink what you share and don’t be afraid to take it to the gutter. Once you're in the gutter the only direction to go is up.

If you’re unafraid of looking foolish the people around you will be more likely to take risks. Share the weird shit. Train yourself to push buttons and be an open channel. You'll get some rejection but its better to get a reaction than to be ignored. If you help someone articulate your failure you’ve prompted discourse. That’s art. And art isn’t always friendly. It doesn’t always please the masses. It can rankle and divide. That’s its power. It is emotional.

Be brave. Be foolish. Try the unexpected and be prepared to fail. Fail often and fail fast. Let it guide you - it will help you learn and focus your efforts.  What is truly a failure - an idea executed or an idea left unexplored?

Look, the Fool

Leave your fear of looking foolish at the door so you can spend more time generating ideas and less time worrying what people will think of you. Look the Fool is a call to action to be brave and accept that not all ideas are going to be mind-blowing. Or even good. The path to good ideas means you’ll need to suggest, and remove, the bad ones quickly and without fear or judgement. Be willing to share the bad ideas. 

Lead by example. If you’re willing to look foolish it levels the playing field and lets everyone know they can speak their minds without fear of judgement.

In the next post I'll talk about taking it to the gutter. From there things can only improve. Personally, I'm happy to absorb some judgement if it fuels the teams creative sensibility, focuses critique and makes everyone comfortable. We can all bond in the gutter.