Stay loose, But not too loose

Sure, a drink or two helps relax inhibitions. That's why so many people rely on a drink to relax and be creative. Somewhere between tipsy and sloppy there is a relaxed zone of openness, socialiblity and creativity. But it's a fine line. Being relaxed is good. Being sloppy and unable to exercise good judgement? Not so good. You're not a monkey throwing feces at a wall and hoping it'll be art. You want quality ideas and the skills to present them well.

How do you find the creative fugue state without the vino or absinthe? Practice and many hours spent doing the thing you love. Don't worry about making something perfect. Just make something and learn from the experience. Stay relaxed. It’s proven that falling when drunk will result in fewer injuries than falling down sober. Make some mistakes and learn how to stay loose in the face of adversity. The thing you're making might become something unexpected, and better, if you let it breathe.

You need a wingman

As an artist you may know exactly what you want to say but you may not see your work clearly from inside the creative bubble. Whether you’re developing personal or commercial work one thing will be constant: your objectivity will probably suck.

That’s why you need a wingman. Someone to keep you honest, on-target and motivated. A friend, an art director, an editor, or colleague who knows what you’re trying to accomplish. What you see isn’t necessarily what anyone else sees and sometimes it helps to have someone to ask, “Are you drunk?”

Yes, even the best artists, writers, directors and dancers have agents, directors, and editors to help focus the message. To make something great even better. If you don't have a wingman, find one. Be critical of yourself but also invite focused criticism.

You'll make bad decisions

A friend once told me that he didn’t consider it a successful night of drinking unless he blacked out. He claimed to enjoy the game of piecing together what happened in the days following the blackout. This is extreme and suggests deeper issues but most of us have enjoyed a scaled back version of this scenario where a drink or two has led us to decisions and scenarios that we wouldn’t normally consider: the ill-advised trip to Taco Bell, the Walk of Shame and the hangovers.

We all have our stories and we all have had to deal with the consequences. That’s the lesson: Drunk or sober, you will make bad decisions in life and you need to deal with them. You’ll need to claim your mistakes, personal and professional, and continue moving forward. It’s counter-intuitive but embracing the bad calls will earn you respect and it's the only way to learn from your mistakes.

The Four Horsemen of the Creative Apocalypse

Stress doesn’t come in a sudden rush. It creeps up, easing into the subconscious and slowly strangling creative flow. Learn to recognize the four obstacles to creativity and stop them in their tracks.

Fear: Usually the fear of judgement or rejection. Remember that ideas are made better when tested. You won’t be judged for accepting feedback but you will be judged for shutting down input.

Time: It's painful when we haven’t budgeted enough time or underestimated a project. Develop the ability to estimate accurately and communicate changes to your team.

Tools: The tools we use to make stuff are constantly changing. Talk to experts, pad your time and manage your teams expectations.

Distractions: Email, SMS, TV, Facebook, personal hobbies, etc. Solution: block out time to focus and turn distractions into rewards. 

Kill your babies

I can’t take credit for this wonderfully grim phrase. I can’t even remember where I first heard it but it stuck with me and that’s what counts. Our babies are the ideas we are attached to that prevent us from shifting gears and letting our concepts evolve.

Babies usually contain the seed of a good idea, which makes them hard to release. They consume your time and distract you from alternatives. They are the ideas that no ones else seems to 'get'. They are the amazing ideas that you can't seem to finish. They are the things you defend emotionally but can't describe their quantitative value.

Recognize when you're defending a time sink. If you feel overly defensive when an idea is criticized there's a good chance it's one of your babies. Step back and shift gears.

Anticipate needs

There are few things worse than then doing a review with your client or PO and getting clobbered with questions you didn’t anticipate. Ideally you would have interviewed them about their goals before you started any actual work but inevitably something slips by.

Think like your client. Internalize their goals as your own. If you work with the same people regularly write down the feedback you anticipate and compare it to the feedback you recieve. Do this enough and you’ll see patterns emerge. Most of us have a limited set of scripted needs and we express them over and over. You boss/client/PO is no different.

Regularly step away from your work and anticipate your client's needs. Write them down. Developing this empathy will focus your work, reduce revisions, save time in reviews and your boss or client will trust you more.

The Six Human Needs

Do you know what motivates you? Several years ago I attended a Tony Robbins weekend event with my wife and some friends. It was a complete information and sensory overload but here is what I remember. As humans we're all driven by the same six basic needs. 

1. Certainty: assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure
2. Uncertainty/Variety: the need for change, new stimuli
3. Significance: feeling unique, important or needed
4. Connection/Love: a strong feeling of closeness
5. Growth: an expansion of capability or understanding
6. Contribution: a sense of service and focus on helping others

ACTION >> Learn which of the Six Basic Needs are most important to you. Use this knowledge to make life, career, and relationship decisions that align with your values.

Horstman’s Law: More Communication is Better

We all wanted to be respected as talented, capable professionals so it isn't always easy to share our failures. The missed deadline, the idea that didn't work as well as we thought it would, etc. The thing is this: you can't hide the failure but you can control how it's communicated. Don't waste your time on excuses. It's always better to fess up and let people know what you learned.

“No matter what the situation: work or home, professional or personal, boss or subordinate, it is always more communication that solves the problem or clinches the deal. And think about this: communication is what the listener does.”

“Pick up the phone. Provide an update. Admit you’re behind. Over communicate, and you’re halfway there.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: How You Feel is Your Fault

It's so easy to blame circumstances, and other people, for our frustrations but that's just offloading responsibility. Don't let other people turn you into something, or someone, you don't want to be. If other people determine the conditions of your happiness you're giving them too much power. Your feelings are your responsibility.

“If you find yourself saying, “that guy/situation/boss makes me mad,” you’re wrong. They did something, and then you decided how to respond. Think about the word responsibility. (Response-ability) You’re able to choose your response.”

“Choose the right response. Choose not to get angry. Choose to understand why they behave the way they do. Your response will be more powerful.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: Control is an Illusion

This is so true. As a manager there's a strong temptation to over-validate our presence by controlling the conditions and people around us. However you can't control everything. Ultimately you, and your team, will be happier and more productive if you learn to step back. 

“There is not a single person whom you think you “control” who would agree with you. If you really think you’re so good as to control another, then who in your organization thinks that way about you? Stop trying to control. You’re wasting your time. Build relationships that allow you to influence.”

“Build relationships based on trust. Say, “I trust you.” Let your team choose their path at times, even when you disagree.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: You’re Not that Smart: They’re Not that Dumb

Unless you're some kind of sociopath or super-spy people will know if you're holding back. And if they're worth being part of your life they're worth the truth. If you choose to hold back you can expect they will follow your lead.

“You can’t fool people. Ever. The fact is, people know when you mislead them. Yes, they might go along with you, but they know that it doesn’t feel right. That you don’t feel right. After all, didn’t you used to be “them?”

“Tell the whole truth. Don’t leave anything out. When in doubt, tell everyone. Use candor as advantage, rather than seeing it as weakness.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: It’s All About People

Surround yourself with talented people and get to know what makes them tick. Conversation about work is great but that will only give you a shallow understanding of who they are and, if you're working with someone, do you really want to settle for partial understanding?

“This is actually a hard-nosed, scientific and financial reality. Any hour you spend on people is a better investment than an hour spent on systems, processes, or policies. Great people can overcome average systems; average people won’t live up to great systems.”

“Spend time with your folks every week. Learn their strengths and weaknesses. Learn their projects. Learn their children’s names.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: The “Other” Way Often Works Just Fine

One of the great things about working in teams is that everyone approaches their work differently. If someone makes a suggestion that doesn't jive with your process or philosophy give their idea it's due. Especially if this is a person whom you respect. It worked for them well enough to earn your respect so there must be value. 

“There’s someone else out there who has succeeded to the same level you have with exactly the opposite intuitions you have. (They wonder how you got where you are too.) Your idea that your way is the right way is routinely controverted. You just think it’s right because it’s yours.”

“Try the opposite every once in a while. After your first thought, wait for a second–different–one.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: There are No Secrets

People are smarter and more observant than always suits our needs so don't even try to hide things. Even if people don't guess the details they'll see enough to trigger the imagination and what they imagine is probably worse than the truth. Be transparent.

“If you think you can keep something quiet in your organization, you’re kidding yourself. What everybody is talking about is what’s not being said. Everybody knows already. The one associate or friend that you felt you could tell has probably told someone else whom they trusted…and so on. If you try to keep secrets, others lose respect for you because you show you don’t trust them.”

“Tell everybody everything. Forward every e-mail you get to all of your team...automatically. Don’t go off the record.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Horstman’s Law: The River is Wide, the Currents are Messy, but all the Water Ends up in the Ocean

If you haven't yet discovered Manager Tools I highly recommend you spend some time with their podcasts. The focus is on becoming an effective manager but I found their content is just as applicable to the lone wolf or freelancer.

“Watch water flow down river sometime. It doesn’t march in nice straight lines. It meanders. It’s messy. Scientists say 20% of it is actually going up river. Your organization is organic–it’s made up of people–just like a river. Your projects and timelines are going to be messy and defy control. Stop fighting it.”

“Don’t worry about or punish every missed deadline–wait for a pattern. Think about a chinese finger puzzle. Sometimes a light touch is the way out. Let go–flow–to get ahead.”

Find more great ideas and information at Manager Tools.

Money doesn't matter

Don’t wait for the perfect conditions to be creative. Often we use conditions as excuses to not be creative or to not work towards your dreams. There’s not enough time, not enough money, not enough support from friends and family, etc. Over time we’ll break down each of these excuses and stories can get in our way but, for now, let’s talk about money.

Money has nothing to do with creativity. The blues came from poverty. Flamenco came from poverty. Most of the arts you love have their roots in poverty. Money is great for funding larger projects but you don't need it to get started. You may not be able to afford the recording equipment you'd like, or the laptop or the dance costume but none of the those are an excuse to not create. Not having enough money is an excuse we throw in our own way. It's a story we tell ourselves to let ourselves off the hook, to take fewer risks. Don’t let money be your story.

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.