Banish Your Inner Critic - MakingWeb.no 2016

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Banish Your Inner Critic MakingWeb.no Oslo, Norway 22 September 2016 Denise Jacobs

Transcript of Banish Your Inner Critic - MakingWeb.no 2016

Banish Your Inner Critic

MakingWeb.no Oslo, Norway 22 September 2016

Denise Jacobs

@denisejacobs#makingweb

#banishyourcritic

Want the slides? Go here:

Creativedo.se/makingweb-ic

Photo by Derek Kearney

Wait…What?!

Founder + CEO, The Creative Dosehttp://TheCreativeDose.com/

Upon a time…http://www.behance.net/gallery/Once-Upon-a-Time/2918365

29 Junehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jblndl/3154255478/

I was going to be an author!Photo: Denise Jacobs

Instead of creativityPhoto from Flickr.com

Destructivityhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/kevygee/3265941065/

The voices in my head were mercilesshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4887528060/

I totally freaked out

I shouldn't be writing thisI misrepresented myself

I don't know enoughThis should be someone else’s book

I’m going to look stupidEveryone will see that I’m a fakeWhat if it's not good enough?What if I'm not good enough?

No…really!

2 dayshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/fiery-phoenix/8428079916/

Worked non-stop & burned outhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/53611153@N00/5827849044/

My internal critical voiceshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeapalooza/553545517/

Made this happen

https://www.flickr.com/photos/70938871@N05/8230432077

Physical evidence of fearhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/grumpyfeline/4626401443/

A different kind of fearPhoto: Denise Jacobs

Fears + Internalized criticisms

https://www.flickr.com/photos/remoto/5313967682

= The Inner Critic

https://www.flickr.com/photos/acerriteno/3484093889/

F.E.A.R. =

http://cdnpix.com/show/imgs/7a361666e107cd36656d5a66ea2e4e80.jpg

Or…

https://twitter.com/Phishtitz/status/474661495935365120

YES! (…and…)https://www.flickr.com/photos/willsan/3780293130

The enemy of creativity

http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardwinchell/130344669/

Stress & frustration

https://www.flickr.com/photos/corneveaux/3248566797/

Suppress generative impulses in the brain

https://www.flickr.com/photos/birthintobeing/11841180046

Thoughts =https://www.flickr.com/photos/57375589@N05/9046508025/

Electrical impulses =http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neuron-matrix.png

= Brainwaves!http://uniteunderfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Brain-waves.jpg

Know your brainwaves

Blocks creative expressionhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/

“Self-rebuke will stall your creative efforts.”- Shelly Carson, Your Creative Brain

How to ID your Inner Critichttp://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdachialpha/203904103/

Listen for internal critical talkhttp://brenebrown.com/2014/04/08/daring-interview-series-meet-gavin-aung/

“OMG, I’m SO busy!”

“I should have done more by now…”

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

“They’ll find out I’m a fraud”

vs. “NAILED IT!”https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul-drummond/3946893897

“It needs to be FLAWLESS”http://www.flickr.com/photos/diepuppenstubensammlerin/7648792510/

“I’ll do it tomorrow…”

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

“Really, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

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

“I will do it tomorrow!”

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

Meet your inner critic

1) Write down one fear around your creativity

https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/5788826472/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dhinson/1290445055/

2) Crumple paper into ball Then…

3) On 3, throw it!http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1-baSAE8ZI/VDM3BbuiaFI/AAAAAAAABKk/l91FBGvSgkA/s1600/IMAGE_437.jpg

Anthing sound familiar?Photo: Denise Jacobs

You’re in good companyhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/17843347@N05/4610644207/

Afflicts ALL of us!

http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/jimmy-fallon-the-unsinkable-legend-part-2 (@ 8:15)

“…I don’t have what these people want to see – they want to see a funny guy! That’s not me.” - Jerry Seinfeld, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

https://www.flickr.com/photos/97477873@N00/13016287284/

We need to unleashhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/designandtechnologydepartment/4771136128/

We need brain managementhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/13994747444/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nrbelex/2247397943/

“You must be unintimidated by your own thoughts because if you [try to create] with someone looking over your shoulder, you'll never [create].” – Nikki Giovanni

How do we…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5445602998/

Banish the Inner Critic?https://www.flickr.com/photos/31505964@N08/4691019168/

You can’t outrun the voiceshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/wester/504925076/

Imposition Mentalityhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/bethscupham/7328405210

Eliminate “Have to/Should/Must/Ought”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythoto/3822942678/

Replace with “I choose/ I decide/ I will”https://www.flickr.com/photos/mstry-2525-gst/3312199285/

Comparison Syndromehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/kharied/3315558702/

“You cannot compare your insides to someone else’s outsides.”

Say NO to Comparisonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/suvodeb/2559017400/

You & what you produce is unique

Establish boundarieshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisawakeupcall/5595296868/

(Btw, this your new mantra…)http://www.spunkysapphire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-1-e1406074730116.jpg

Beat Impostor Syndrome

Impostor Syndrome Paradox

http://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/2279939232/

You will only experience impostor syndrome when you are competent and skilled.

(re-read this as many times as necessary.)

Inner Critic “psychology hacks”https://www.flickr.com/photos/insk/3884826712/

Ask it questionshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749432145/

Be compassionatehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/wrote/2646295354/

Reassign dutyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/shavawnmarie/1326123397/

Reframe fear of failurehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717325940/

http://culturecatch.com/files/images/after-earth.jpg

“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, After Earth

Embrace failure and mistakezhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4498817330/

“Being right keeps us in place. Being wrong forces us to explore.” – Steven Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From

Copy the Fail MastersPhoto: Denise Jacobs

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/959864706/

Take steps, #FAIL; Go again!

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

Judgment Dreadhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/jdlasica/12825451433/

Remember egocentricity

Cop a Power Pose

“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

Feed each other

Breaking the loop

Perfectionismhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/diepuppenstubensammlerin/7648792510/

“Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order.”― Anne Wilson Schaef

The real problem

http://cuttingthecheese.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/26810560251953842_ede18tng_f.jpg

Perfectionists focus on the finished product…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/phatcontroller/3667889959/

Rather than the processhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/spyndle/474122586/

“The Best” vs “The most”https://www.flickr.com/photos/villify/10871945326

Be bad/make it uglyhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/kpwerker/6051104684

Embrace the “SFD”Twitter, circa 2006

Satisficehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/sleepyvalley/3650673328

Remember:

https://twitter.com/dickelippe/status/581204005013078016/photo/1

Perfection ≠ Excellence

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaldoche/4771465356

“Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good.”– Voltaire

Procrastination

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

The trick is not self-identifying…http://20px.com/blog/2013/09/06/a-field-guide-to-procrastinators/

Nor administering a dose of

https://www.flickr.com/photos/116357579@N08/13178367583

Procrastinators are NOT lazy

https://www.flickr.com/photos/code_martial/4145914957

The unknown can be paralyzing

http://hub.salford.ac.uk/energymonitoring/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/01/known-knowns1.jpg

Pro tip: Reframe the unknownhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmelsa/3000222387/

Increase the meaning/valuehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeliam/2460475510/

Mind Trickshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/32135758@N02/5325454434/

Don’t do it, just get ready toPhoto: Denise Jacobs

“Structured procrastination”https://www.flickr.com/photos/superamit/1043379069

Time & Space Trickshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/indraw/4857101224/

Eliminate distractions

From “Shit Black Girls Say”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXDpfhehb6I

Ignore to focus

https://www.flickr.com/photos/massimobarbieri/3998455558/

Browser Extensions (Firefox) LeechBlock Idderall Browser Extensions (Chrome) Strict Workflow StayFocusd Website Blocker

Tools RescueTime.com HeyFocus.com

Aids for digital blocking

Added bonusHeyFocus.com

Airplane/Do Not Disturb mode

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieterouwerkerk/699475144/

Make it a Sprint

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucamascaro/4975166968/

Fill a Quota

https://www.flickr.com/photos/teosaurio/3392883329/

Remember thisPhoto: Denise Jacobs

My story’s end?http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonialuna/2942020058/

Februaryhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/3709856898/

#FAILhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/dafnecholet/5374200948

#WINNING!http://www.flickr.com/photos/clappstar/6297835482/

I wrote my first book!

Photo: Denise Jacobs

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thatconference/9532425040/

Which created AMAZING things for me

Disturbing dreamshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/agroffman/4613265988

My own inner creative childPhoto: Deloria Jacobs

Always reaching for perfectionPhoto: Denise Jacobs

“The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday—but never jam to-day.”

“It MUST come sometimes to ‘jam to-day’,” Alice objected.

“No, it can’t,” said the Queen. “It’s jam every OTHER day: to-day isn’t any OTHER day, you know.”

— from Through the Looking Glass & What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll

“Jam” = Reward / Satisfactionhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/macati/2180421766

YOU NEVER GET JAMhttp://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/alicepic/through-the-looking-glass/2book42.jpg

By sharing my experiencePhoto: Deloria Jacobs

Show you there is an alternativehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/buttersponge/4955768144

https://www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/9220121158/

“The creative adult is the child who survived after the world tried killing them, making them ‘grown up’….

…The creative adult is the child who survived the blandness of schooling, the unhelpful words of bad teachers, and the nay-saying ways of the world.” – Ursula K. L Guin

https://www.flickr.com/photos/theburiedlife/2167001643/

By understanding this truth

You’ll look at yourself differentlyhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/edenpictures/3460562429

Let out all of your ideas

https://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8115237421/

Because, after all…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aoberg/9652158212

The EndPhoto: Denise Jacobs

My upcoming book!

Banish Your Inner Critic

Get on the list! DeniseJacobs.com/InnerCritic

Identify and Eliminate Mental Blocks to Unleash Creativity

THE CREATIVE DOSE A Creativity + Innovation Collective

Creative Thinking + Problem-solving

Creative Collaboration Team Communication + Cohesion

Professional Development + Speaking Coaching

TheCreativeDose.com@thecreativedose

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Connect + Collaborate With Me!

Photo used with permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarronwalter/4629078087/

And finally…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27620885@N02/2609974180/

Clear the pipes: Morning Pageshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/juliejordanscott/4970674253//

Decouple performance from identityhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/krissen/6824608878

So go and disrupt something!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcymet/3564484236/

Pushed myself to burn-outhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4052943367/