Denise Jacobs' presentation at Devoxx focuses on enhancing creativity through various techniques and overcoming obstacles such as self-doubt and fear. It outlines a framework consisting of four main goals: emancipate, adjust, practice discipline, and generate & execute, with specific hacks to aid in each area. The talk emphasizes the importance of managing one's inner critic and creating an environment conducive to creative flow.

1. >> Work Better, Create More
/*
Denise Jacobs
Devoxx BE Developer’s Conference | Antwerp, Belgium
14 November 2014
*/

2. Who: @denisejacobs
Where: @Devoxx #Devoxx
What: #hackcreativity

3. After writing this…

4. I had an epiphany
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4055814772/

5. Creativity: powerful and empowering
http://www.flickr.com/photos/assbach/267598910/

6. Photo by Derek Kearney
Shifted my focus to what I love

7. Why I do what I do
http://TheCreativeDose.com/

8. Intro
The State of the Union

9. What’s our most important tool for creating?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/

10. This one!
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APSM_V14_D495_Side_view_of_the_brain_and_spinal_cord.jpg

11. Managers

12. Bureaucracy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749431435/

13. Clients
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clairity/154640125/

14. Time pressures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/indraw/4857101224/

15. Mentally overwhelmed
http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/__62375#img9

16. Oppressed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johannahobbs/2412291551/

17. “Houston, we have a problem…”
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S70-34902.jpg

18. When we are in the creative flow
http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfear/289257055/

19. We are alchemists
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faust_image_19thcentury.jpg

20. “Creativity is newness
produced.”
Sir Ken Robinson, Out of Our Minds

21. It feels like
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/2761300969/

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

23. “Creativity is all about making
connections and seeing patterns.”
Bruce Nussbaum,Creativity Intelligence
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kosmotesto/3794445313/

24. Our Goals
1
Emancipate
2
Adjust
3
Practice Discipline
4
Generate & Execute

25. 1
Emancipate

26. Mass hypnosis
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yxelle/5806302053

27. Habits and thinking to quit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet/4170136164/sizes/l/

28. Distractions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksherman/529178002/

29. Multitasking
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/3041235238/

30. Zeigarnik Effect
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Zeigarnik_Effect

31. Communication addiction
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersdenken/2082816707/

32. Intermittent reinforcement
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jepoirrier/422469526/ | http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristoferbjorkman/6910216819/ | http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreignoffice/2671039488/

33. Internalized the critical voices
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeapalooza/553545517/

34. Become monsters in your head
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4887528060/

35. Instead of Creativity
Source: Flickr

36. Destructivity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevygee/3265941065/

37. “If your demons are such that they fill
the room the instant you contemplate
creating, your studio will be too
dangerous a place to enter.”
Eric Maisel, author of Fearless Creating

38. Recognize the many forms of your Inner Critic

39. Impostor Syndrome

40. (vs. the Dunning-Kruger Effect)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul-drummond/3946893897

41. Hack >> Know the Impostor Syndrome Paradox
http://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/2279939232/

42. Comparisons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/automania/126698126/

43. Procrastination
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irrezolut/2311904560/

44. Perfectionism
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diepuppenstubensammlerin/7648792510/

45. Fear of failure
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717325940/

46. F.E.A.R. =
http://cdnpix.com/show/imgs/7a361666e107cd36656d5a66ea2e4e80.jpg

47. Or…
https://twitter.com/Phishtitz/status/474661495935365120

48. Thoughts on fear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY

49. “Fear is not real. It is a product of the
thoughts you create.
Do not misunderstand me.
Danger is very real. But fear is a
choice.”
Character of Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith), After Earth

50. Hack >> Become a Fear Alchemist
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Wright_of_Derby_The_Alchemist.jpg

51. “The goal is to manage anxiety so that
our energies are used for the
productive and satisfying (act) of
creating, rather than the destructive
and debilitating art of self-torture.”
Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution

52. Banish Your Inner Critic!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31505964@N08/4691019168/

53. Hack>>Amp up empathy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrote/2646295354/

54. Hack>>Maintain perspective
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daikrieg/1294053038/

55. Hack>>Reassign duty
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shavawnmarie/1326123397/

56. Hack>>Reframe #FAIL
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717326642/

57. “Failure is only the opportunity to
begin again more intelligently.”
Henry Ford

58. Change your body language, change your mind
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirteenthnile/4546397775/

59. “Our bodies change our minds,
our minds change our behavior,
and our behavior changes our
outcomes.”
Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
TED talk

60. Hack>>Cop a Power Pose

61. #Exercise: Power Pose
Stand up. Assume a pose that embodies a sense of defeat,
can’t do it, it will never work, “I suck/I’m no good/an
impostor”, etc. Make yourself as small and powerless feeling
as possible.
Then, strike a power pose. Imagine yourself as a superhero
looking off into the distance seeing your destiny of major
creative butt-kicking.
Alternate several times. Hold the power pose for as long as you
can so that you can feel the change.

62. 2
Adjust

63. Adjust: Train Your Brain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiarescott/3211540197/

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

65. Left hemisphere
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smittenkittenoriginals/4451172538/

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

67. Instead: Left + Right brain = Creativity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47691521@N07/4639590640/

68. “The parts of your brain that are
responsible for self-monitoring are literally
turned off during creative
endeavors….Creative people have
mastered the art of turning off [the
inhibitive] part of their brains to let their
ideas flow more smoothly, unleashing their
imagination.”
Tina Seelig, InGenius

69. What are our brains constantly producing?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cblue98/7254347346/

70. Know your Brainwaves

71. Alpha: the gateway to creativity

72. #Exercise: Enter Alpha
Close your eyes and relax. Breathe through your nose.
Now place your tongue at the roof of your mouth,
turn your eyes towards the ceiling underneath your
eyelids.
Take several deep, long breaths.
As you relax, you are changing your brainwaves from
Beta to Alpha.

73. Explains everything

74. Hack >> Breathe to refocus
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guiniveretoo/1573049301/

75. Hack >> Being prone
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snazzy54/4581347651/

76. Hack >> Showers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3761878381/

77. Hack >> Daydream/Space out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzylittlemanpeach/4633972431/

78. Hack >> Get physical
http://www.flickr.com/photos/miguel77/2728104156/

79. Makes a HUGE difference

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

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

82. 3
Practice Discipline

83. Exercise Discipline
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bizz0k0/3432638748/

84. Focus on meaningful tasks
http://www.43folders.com/2008/09/01/what-are-you-doing

85. Show up everyday
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8064533288/

86. And really commit to it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deathtogutenberg/2976274920/

87. Hack >> Delegate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/3645313261/

88. Delegation works

89. Clean-up habit fields
http://www.flickr.com/photos/risager/3452272176/

90. Habit what?
http://alistapart.com/article/habit-fields

91. Hack >> Habit field reboot
Clean up your work habit field by following the suggestions in
the article “Habit Fields” by Jack Cheng. Create your
equivalent of a “distraction chair” and move to it when you
feel like you are inclined to surf the web, email, Tweet,
Facebook, or engage in any other computer-related
distraction. When you are ready to work again, come back to
your desk.
Rinse and repeat until your work habit field is clear again and
no longer fuzzy.

92. Manage time
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paolocampioni/2168286027/

93. Single-task
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33498942@N04/6009639079/

94. Say NO to Distractions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideon/6582069/

95. HeyFocus.com

96. Added bonus

97. RescueTime.com

98. Aids for digital blocking
Tools
RescueTime.com
GetConcentrating.com
HeyFocus.com
Browser Extensions
Firefox:
LeechBlock
Idderall
Google Chrome:
Strict Workflow
StayFocusd

99. Hack >> Pomodoro Technique
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucamascaro/4975166968/

100. Hack >> Airplane mode
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieterouwerkerk/699475144/

101. 4
Generate & Execute

102. Generate: Start the flow of ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/international-festival/3018718331/

103. Everything is a Remix
“Mona Lisa” by Paul Giovanopoulos, http://www.giovanopoulos.com/

104. Hack>>Get your Remix on!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4812026355/

105. Hack >> Create constaints
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielsilliman/4489863368/

106. Generate ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathb/3933087930/

107. Capture ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosengrant/3637839874/

108. Embrace disruption
Photo: Denise Jacobs

109. What are you going to do now?

110. Write them down
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitlinator/2826079915/

111. Sketch them out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoze04/4890376021/

112. Talk them out (& record it)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/3641402489/

113. Gather and curate your ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmanviz/3181410714/

114. Evernote
Pinterest.com
Delicious.com
Flickr.com
Trello.com
Zootool.com
Gimmebar.com
Tools to do so
Dropr.com
Diigo
Tumblr
Imgspark.com
Scrnshots.com
Vi.sualize.us
Emberapp.com

115. “Creativity is more than a great
idea, it’s the determination to see
the idea through to fruition.”
Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution

116. Prototype
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindmob/292609444/

117. Iterate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciousblur/4165405018/

118. The d.school production-iteration process
• Observe
• Suggest
• Tinker
• Review
• Apply feedback
• Reiterate

119. The stage is set for Flow
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgeithner/5290115839/

120. How do you get there?

121. All of the previous steps lead you here:
• Concept in mind: know what you want to achieve
and what it looks like
• Practice in place
• Cleared space
• Time carved out and distractions eliminated
• Necessary materials on hand

122. Epilogue
Liberation

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

124. Moving forward
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pulpolux/3317141795/

125. (Re)Gain Creative Confidence
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4055807492/

126. “…the confidence that, when
given a difficult problem, we have
a methodology that enables us to
come up with a solution that
nobody has before.”
David Kelley of Ideo

127. What you produce is unique

128. Hack your habits >> Different Results
http://starchild07.deviantart.com/art/Brainwaves-44238823

129. Practicing different habits >> Transform your life

130. “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

131. Let out all of your great ideas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/

132. Get your creativity hack on!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bibi/5448158773/

133. The End…? (or is just the beginning?)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/232100469/

134. Resources!
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

135. My articles for further reading
Banishing Your Inner Critic
alistapart.com/articles/banishing-your-inner-critic/
Four Secrets to Enhancing Creative Productivity
www.creativebloq.com/inspiration/four-secrets-enhancing-creative-productivity-9126098
Reigniting Your Creative Spark
alistapart.com/articles/reigniting-your-creative-spark/
Breaking the Perfectionism-Procrastination Infinite Loop
webstandardssherpa.com/reviews/breaking-the-perfectionism-procrastination-infinite-loop/

136. THE CREATIVE DOSE
A Creativity + Innovation Collective
Work Better. Create More. Create Betterness.
Creative Thinking & Problem-solving
Applying an Innovation Mindset
Creative Collaboration
Team Communication & Cohesion
TheCreativeDose.com
@thecreativedose

137. Connect, Chat, and Collaborate!
DeniseJacobs.com
 Sign up on my mailing list here!
denise@denisejacobs.com
twitter.com/denisejacobs
facebook.com/denisejacobsdotcom
slideshare.net/denisejacobs
Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/

138. Thank you!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4759535970/