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.

Interview: Edward Minoff

When I first met Edward he was Ted and we both worked at MTV Animation. He was an instigator, a good natured trouble-maker, graffiti artist and gifted illustrator. His drawing was effortless and full of energy. Between then and now he made a serious transition - he is now a mature, disciplined and gifted painter known primarily for his studies of water. This New York kid captures the tranquility and peace of nature with a poet's touch. His story is one of talent but also dedication and living in the moment.

Do you still practice? If so, what do your practice sessions look like?
Practice never ends. In my case, I feel like there is some linear trajectory to my artistic career, so in some way each painting is practice for the next painting.

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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?

Interview: Carmine Guida

When I asked Carmine if I could interview him he seemed surprised because he's not a visual designer. But he is visionary. An accomplished musician, gifted programmer and an entrepreneur. His organizational skills are second to none, he is a natural leader, a teacher and inclusive collaborator. Where you find Carmine you'll find people pushing themselves and having fun.

Do you still practice? If so, what do your practice sessions look like?
With programming. I’m always programming. I program every day. I don’t know if “practice” is the word. But there is a lot of trying out an idea / quickly prototyping, and then deleting it.

With music practice. This is more about “keeping my chops up” making sure my skills/speed/tricks are where they should be.

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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.

Interview: Fung Chern Hwei

Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Fung Chern Hwei has studied the violin since he was eight years old. As a musician he is both technical and fiercely improvisational. He is currently the first violinist of Sirius Quartet, a string quartet based in New York City that tours and performs extensively internationally. His list of collaborators is a who’s who of innovative musicians including Uri Caine, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stanley Clarke, Tony Bennet, Bobby McFerrin, Steve Wilson, Elliot Sharp and more.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere, from the surroundings, people, the music I listen to, books I read, movies I watch...

Where are you when you have the most a-ha moments?
Good question. Usually in the subway.

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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.

Use Your Telescope

Telescoping is the process of actively switching between high level thought and the details of execution. Think of it as zooming in and out of your work. At the zoomed out view think about high level project goals: who is the audience, what is the hierarachy, am I working within or breaking existing conventions, etc. Zoomed in you can work out the specifics of execution: adding layers of polish and resolving outstanding questions.

If I notice myself getting fixated on details sometimes I'll physically step away from my computer and look at a work-in-progress from 4-6 feet away so I have to shift focus back to a zoomed-out perspective. 

• Plan and lay down the structure.
• Don’t spend all your time focusing on the details.
• Step back and evaluate.
• Repeat this process constantly.

Get your gut checked regularly

Gut checks are frequent, quick, focused tests of your ideas. Invite someone to give you a quick, gut-level reaction to a work-in-progress. You want an emotional or intuitive reaction that helps you clarify any bias you have as the creator. Go ahead and tell them you're just doing a gut check. The shorter their response, the better. It's not a brainstorm, it’s a fast tool to check your assumptions.

Ask a question so the feedback is focused. Use simple, direct questions and insist on simple, direct answers. 

Example questions:

• What’s the first thing you notice?
• What is the most important thing on the screen?
• What’s the first emotion that comes to mind when you see this?
• Would you trust this?
• Is this funny?

Don't hold back. Use your best ideas.

There is no better time than now for your best ideas. Use them, there will be more. Don’t save them for a better project or a better client because good ideas breed more good ideas.

When we become stingy with our concepts we get attached to them and when we get attached to an idea it becomes the thing that is always pushed to another day because we think it has to be perfect. It's easy to put off the perfect idea because it'll take too much time.

Additionally, the more things you try the more likely you’ll find something that works and when you do find something that works don't be afraid to repeat yourself.

You don't have to reinvent yourself on every project. And repetition is the thing that all your favorite artists are known for. Repetition is style and style is the thing that reputations are built upon.

Would your manager fight to keep you?

A few years ago Netflix released to the public a presentation about their company culture and one of the themes is effective hiring. They focus on superstars and everyone else is let go. It sounds harsh but I love this idea, particularly if everyone is aware of this standard.

Here’s the test the Netflix managers use to determine whether someone should remain or be cut from the payroll: Which of my people, if they told me they were leaving, for a similar job at a peer company, would I fight hard to keep at Netflix?

Now flip that around: Would your manager fight to keep you?

If the answer is no you need to ask yourself 'why not?'. Either you aren't aware of your managers expectations, you aren't personally driven for excellence, you aren't qualified for your position or you should be doing something else that does inspire you. Which is it?