Unleash Productive Creativity by Banishing Your Inner Critic

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Unleash Productive Creativity by Banishing Your Inner Critic

Denise R. Jacobs

Founder + CEO, The Creative Dose

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@denisejacobs

@Inbound | #Inbound15

#banishyourcritic

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Want the slides? Get them here:

Creativedo.se/Inbound15-ic

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Once upon a time…

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

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29 June

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jblndl/3154255478/

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I was going to be a writer!

Photo: Denise Jacobs

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Instead of creativity

Photo from Flickr.com

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Destructivity

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

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The voices in my head were merciless

http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4887528060/

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I totally freaked out

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I shouldn't be writing this I misrepresented myself

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

I’m going to look stupid Everyone will see that I’m a fake What if it's not good enough? What if I'm not good enough?

No…really!

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2 days

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fiery-phoenix/8428079916/

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Worked non-stop

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53611153@N00/5827849044/

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Pushed myself to burn-out

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44085287@N05/4052943367/

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My internal critical voices caused

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

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Physical evidence of fear

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grumpyfeline/4626401443/

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A different kind of fear


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Internalized criticisms + fears

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

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= The Inner Critic

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

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F.E.A.R. =

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

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Or…

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

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The enemy of creativity

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

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Creative brainwaves

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

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Know your brainwaves

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Stress & frustration

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

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Suppress generative impulses in the brain

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

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Dampens creative expression

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anieto2k/8156999698/

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How to ID your Inner Critic

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdachialpha/203904103/

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Listen for internal critical talk

http://brenebrown.com/2014/04/08/daring-interview-series-meet-gavin-aung/

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“OMG, I’m SO busy!”

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“I should have done more by now…”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kharied/3315558702/

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“They’ll find out I’m a fraud”

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“I don’t know enough”

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Einstein_1921_by_F_Schmutzer.jpg

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Or intimidated into it!

…intimidated into it!

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vs. “NAILED IT!”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul-drummond/3946893897

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Impostor Syndrome Paradox

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

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You will only experience impostor syndrome when you are competent and skilled. (re-read this as many times as necessary.)

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“It needs to be FLAWLESS”

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

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“I’ll do it tomorrow…”

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

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“Really, I’ll do it tomorrow.”


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“I will do it tomorrow!”


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Feed each other

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In order for

http://www.flickr.com/photos/designandtechnologydepartment/4771136128/

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You need brain management

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“The goal is to manage anxiety so that our energies are used for the productive and satisfying art of creating…

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…rather than the destructive and

debilitating art of self-torture.” - Clare Warmke, Idea Revolution

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How do we…

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

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Banish the Inner Critic?


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Eliminate “Have to/Should/Must/Ought”

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

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Replace with “I choose/ I decide/ I will”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mstry-2525-gst/3312199285/

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Say NO to comparisons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suvodeb/2559017400/

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(Btw, this your new mantra…)

http://www.spunkysapphire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-1-e1406074730116.jpg

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Ask it questions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4749432145/

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Be compassionate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrote/2646295354/

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Reassign duty

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shavawnmarie/1326123397/

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Remember your successes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pocait/2847866615/

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(My personal version)


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Cop a Power Pose

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“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

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Breaking the loop

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Perfectionism

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

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“Perfectionism is self-abuse of

the highest order.” ― Anne Wilson Schaef

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The real problem

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

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Perfectionists focus on the finished product…

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

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Rather than the process

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spyndle/474122586/

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“The Best” vs “The Most”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/villify/10871945326

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Amen!

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

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Remember egocentricity

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Remember this:

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.” ― Dr. Maya Angelou

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Decouple performance from identity

https://www.flickr.com/photos/krissen/6824608878

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Fear of failure

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/2717325940/

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“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

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Reframe and embrace failure

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielagama_fotografando/4029208908/

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“Failure is only the opportunity to

begin again more intelligently.” - Henry Ford

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And mistakez

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4498817330/

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“Being right keeps us in place.

Being wrong forces us to

explore.” – Steven Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From

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Humble beginnings

Twitter, circa 2006

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Copy the #fail masters


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Take steps, #FAIL; Go again!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/959864706/AND http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/959867550/

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Satisfice

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

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Be bad/make it ugly

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kpwerker/6051104684

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Perfection ≠ Excellence

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

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Procrastination


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The trick is not self-identifying…

http://20px.com/blog/2013/09/06/a-field-guide-to-procrastinators/

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Nor administering a dose of

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

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Increase the meaning/value

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeliam/2460475510/

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Mind Tricks


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Don’t do it, just get ready to


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“Structured procrastination”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/superamit/1043379069

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Time & Space Tricks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/indraw/4857101224/

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Eliminate distractions

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

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Ignore to focus

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

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Tools

•  RescueTime.com

•  GetConcentrating.com

•  HeyFocus.com

Firefox Browser Extensions:

•  LeechBlock

•  Idderall

Google Chrome Browser Extensions:

•  Strict Workflow

•  StayFocusd

•  Website Blocker

Aids for digital blocking

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Added bonus

HeyFocus.com

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Airplane/Do Not Disturb mode

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

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Make it a Sprint

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

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Fill a Quota

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

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Remember this:


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My story’s end?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonialuna/2942020058/

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February

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

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#FAIL

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dafnecholet/5374200948

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#WINNING!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clappstar/6297835482/

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I wrote my first book!


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Which created AMAZING things for me

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

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Bad dreams

https://www.flickr.com/photos/agroffman/4613265988

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“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

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“Jam” = Reward / Satisfaction

https://www.flickr.com/photos/macati/2180421766

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YOU NEVER GET JAM

http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/alicepic/through-the-looking-glass/2book42.jpg

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By sharing my experience

Photo: Deloria Jacobs

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Show you there is an alternative

https://www.flickr.com/photos/buttersponge/4955768144

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The creative adult…


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

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…is the child who survived!

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

…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

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By understanding this truth

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You’ll look at yourself differently

https://www.flickr.com/photos/edenpictures/3460562429

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Your imperfect, yet amazing ideas

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

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Because, after all…

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

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The End


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Get the slides!

Creativedo.se/Inbound15-ic

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My upcoming book!

DeniseJacobs.com/InnerCritic

Banish Your Inner Critic 26 Effective Techniques for Unleashing Productive Creativity

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Take my Creative Blocks survey

Creativedo.se/creative-blocks-survey

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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

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Connect and Collaborate!

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

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Thank You!

Unleash Productive Creativity by Banishing Your Inner Critic

Career

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