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 & TAKECreativity 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 & TAKEDistracting 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 & TAKECreating 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 & TAKEAid 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 & TAKEHow 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!