by Naomi | Mar 30, 2017 | Creative Life
When you ask the wrong questions, you end up with the wrong answers. Seems logical enough, right? Most of us don’t intentionally ask the wrong questions. However, just because we don’t intend to ask low-value questions doesn’t mean we don’t ask them.
Here are a few sneaky questions that might pop up from time to time:
- Why is everyone else succeeding faster than me?
- Why didn’t I get started on this project sooner?
- Why is this project so challenging?
- What should I do about this mess?
- When will things start working out?
- What’s wrong with me?
Questions such as these may seem like a tiny, not-so-helpful habit. The truth is, questions such as these can completely derail us. Why? Because our mind goes to work on solving the questions we feed it. So, instead of tackling our problems, our mind is doggedly mapping out wrong turns, or collecting reasons to support our unintentional belief that nothing is ever going to change in our lives.
It’s not enough to realize that these questions aren’t helping us.
Knowing we shouldn’t do something usually doesn’t stop us from doing it. In fact, if we focus on the questions we shouldn’t ask, we’ll end up being unable to avoid thinking about them. If, instead, we have a strategy to help us find more positive, helpful questions, we will have a clear way to address any negative questions that arise.
When you find yourself in a low-value question spiral, ask yourself:
- Is this question pointing out a real problem?
- If yes, move on to question two.
- If no, release the question and go do something playful or active. Move into a new, more optimistic space.
- What is the real problem?
- State the problem in clear language, such as “I’m frustrated with how long it is taking me to finish the script I’m writing.”
- Review your past experiences. When have you had a win in a similar situation?
- Think expansively. Maybe you’ve never finished a script before, but you have finished a project of some kind.
- Keep reviewing until you find three examples of (even loosely) similar wins and look for commonalities between the situations. What seems to work for you?
- Take note of situations where you definitely didn’t succeed. They may add an important element to your ultimate question.
- Shape what you’ve discovered into a clear, specific question.
- Your question might now sound like, “How might I give myself a motivating deadline that doesn’t make me feel like I can’t breathe?
- Brainstorm elements of this question so that you can break the problem into smaller, easy-to-handle questions.
- Answer your big question by tackling these smaller questions one at a time.
- Your set of questions might look like:
- WHY is this project important? What big-picture vision can I tap into? What will finishing this project mean for me and for others?
- WHAT are the milestones between where I am and my completed project?
- HOW LONG does it normally take me to write one scene?
- WHEN might I expect to be done, given the milestones I’ve determined and my regular writing speed?
- WHO might help me stick to my goal?
- WHERE might I get stuck? What strategies might I use to overcome my obstacles?
The right question can transform an impossible roadblock.
A set of questions such as this can turn a desperate plea such as “Why is this project so challenging?” into a manageable situation. However, unless you’re superhuman, it’s unlikely that your first impulse in the midst of a crisis is to ask productive questions. That’s why the first four steps are essential. Once you have gently moved yourself out of downward-spiral thinking into a more confident, optimistic space, you are able to tap into the wisdom that’s there, inside you, waiting to be uncovered. No one is as much an expert on you as YOU. You know what works for you and what doesn’t. All you need is the reliable process to help you find what you knew all along.
What unhelpful question have you been wrestling with lately? How might this process bring momentum to a blocked area of your life? Go ahead and try it out, and then come back and let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear your story. Tag me on Instagram or Twitter.
by Naomi | Dec 12, 2016 | Creative Life
For a long time, I’ve had the secret wish to take a year and be a fly on the wall in workspaces other than my own. Wouldn’t it be interesting to witness first hand the way a chef or a sculptor or a parade float designer thinks about a challenge? And not only interesting … I’m positive that this expanded perspective would develop my thinking and give me new tools with which to face the challenges my own work presents.
I can’t really take a year off … not without leaving behind important goals. However, I realized that even so, I could still be a fly on the wall. Over the next year, as I explore a variety of creative concepts (such as balance, which I’ve been looking at over the past few weeks), I’ll also ask a friend who has experience in another field to weigh in. The questions they ask are sure to power a few a-ha moments for us, particularly if we ask ourselves: What are the connections to my own work?
And thus, without further ado, here is the first of that “fly on the wall” series. This set of five questions is from Tim McCanna, who speaks here from the perspective of a graphic designer. He’s an excellent real-world case of what I’m talking about in terms of bringing ideas from one field to another, because he is now a children’s book writer, and much of the thinking he developed as a designer has proven invaluable to him as a writer.
Tim’s Graphic Design Questions on Balance:
1. WHAT IS THE CLIENT’S CORE OBJECTIVE?
This question constantly informs my decision making process as a designer. If I’m not keeping the client’s purpose front of mind, then I risk misrepresenting them to their audience. Every designer comes to the table with their own tastes and ideas. Our job is to balance our own creative influences and input with the client’s wants and needs.
2. WHAT IS THE SIMPLEST WAY FROM POINT A TO POINT B?
Whether it’s a logo, advertisement, or brochure, the moment I catch myself overcomplicating a design, I know it’s time to step back and re-evaluate how I’m approaching a project so that the message reads quickly and clearly. The trick is balancing form and function.
3. WHAT IS THE CLIENT REALLY TELLING ME?
Sometimes a client doesn’t think they know what they want, but they actually do. Other times a client thinks they know what they want, but they clearly don’t. Either way, you have to listen, be open, and offer them options to help them determine what works and doesn’t work for their needs. It’s a balancing act between gently coaching a client so they can communicate their needs while stepping back and just listening without intervening.
4. HOW WILL THIS PROJECT BE MOST SUCCESSFUL?
Any creative job has several moving parts. There’s the timeline and the deadline. There’s the amount of work hours the designer can invest in the job. There’s the budget the client can afford. There’s the creative expectations on both sides. Communication channels must be open. The designer must be honest about how they can best achieve the client’s goals, and the client must be able to respect the designer’s creative process. And the more people involved, the more complicated it all becomes! Setting up a clear plan from the start will ensure a balanced agreement between all parties. It’s crucial for the success of the work.
5. IS THE TEXT IN HARMONY WITH THE VISUALS?
A muddled, overworked, or disorganized design will surely hinder the clear message a client needs to convey to their audience. A designer is constantly keeping in check the balance of text, graphics, and images. Every choice from font size to image crop to logo placement impacts the overall aesthetic of the project. No stone can be left unturned. Every choice must be specific and deliberate. Design is art, and a designer must use an unwavering artistic eye to achieve a balanced end result that satisfies the client and connects with their audience.
Who’s Tim McCanna?
Tim McCanna has played many creative roles including those of actor, musician, musical theatre writer, graphic designer and dad. Now, he’s combining all those experiences into being a writer for children. He has several picture books under development. BITTY BOT, with illustrations by Tad Carpenter, is his most recent release. A sequel to BITTY BOT will follow in 2018. You can learn more about Tim at
www.timmccanna.com.
by Naomi | Nov 14, 2016 | Creative Life
In order to make the most of feedback, you must be a strong translator.
Why?
Feedback doesn’t come gift-wrapped with a solution.
In fact, feedback generally points out holes, problems or weaknesses. As the creator, your job is to not panic, to hear past the comments, and to identify the true problem that’s being raised.
Take this scenario, for instance:
Meg signs up for a critique with an editor for the first ten pages of her manuscript. The editor has read the pages and sits down with Meg to discuss them.
Editor: I love the premise in this story, and in particular, am drawn to your main character, Frankie.
Meg: Thank you!
Editor: I don’t think the dog works, though. He’s sweet, but I don’t know. I think I’d rather focus on Frankie.
Meg: Ummm… (she’s completely baffled, because the dog is essential to the entire plot)
Editor: (nodding, warming up to her idea) Yep. I think if you took the dog out, we’d connect with Frankie more quickly.
As the conversation wraps up, Meg tries to hear the rest of what the editor says, but she’s stumped. All she can think is that her story doesn’t work. If she takes out the dog, the story doesn’t have a plot. So, maybe she should just start over with a new idea. This kind of scenario happens far too often.
As creators, we can be too literal about the feedback we receive.
We take a comment such as “I don’t think the dog works,” to mean that we need to remove the dog. If we take a look at the conversation though, looking at it as a translator might, we can see that something deeper is happening. The editor has pointed out that she likes Frankie, and that the dog is a distraction. She has said, “I’d rather focus on Frankie” and “If you took the dog out, we’d connect with Frankie more quickly.” Maybe the problem isn’t the dog, exactly, but the way the dog is pulling the reader’s focus in the first ten pages. Maybe the dog needs to be a little less compelling. Maybe we need some time to get to know Frankie before we meet this super-star dog.
When we receive feedback, we must identify the underlying question.
In this case, the question “how can I remove the dog” leads to a complete unraveling of the plot. But the question, “how can I tone down the dog in the first few pages so the reader can focus on Frankie,” is productive and absolutely solvable.
When your ego is on the line, it’s easy to spiral into a tailspin. We freak out, and jump to worst-case scenarios. Our work has a flaw, and we have no idea how to solve it. We should toss it out and start over. Or, worse, we should stop believing we can create at all. Who are we to think we’re a (fill in the blank).
Becoming a translator takes practice. The same is true for learning how to translate feedback. The good news is that there are simple steps to the process. We can practice these steps ahead of time when our egos are not on the line. That way, when we are ready to seek out feedback, we can make the most of it.
Here are five steps for making the most of feedback.
- Write down what the person says. Write down the good, the bad, and the in-between. Try to capture as many words as you can.
- Ask clarifying questions if you don’t understand something that was said, but avoid defending your work. You need time to process what has been said, and the person offering feedback doesn’t expect an answer on the spot. Thank the person for his or her time and insight.
- Find a quiet space and read over your notes. Don’t trust your memory. You’ll over-emphasize the drama. The key to translation is reviewing everything that was said.
- Look for clues as to the reason why certain advice was given. You were told to “get rid of the dog,” but what were the supporting reasons? What issue do those reasons point out?
- Frame a question that highlights the issue to solve, and then brainstorm workable solutions that deal with the heart of the problem.
What kinds of projects are you working on? How might feedback help you? What thinking challenges can you give yourself to practice these five steps? Build up your translation skills through a few low-risk practice sessions, and then try asking for real feedback to see how you do.
Remember, learning to be a translator is a skill. Expect a learning curve. Motivate yourself to push through the tough parts by focusing the benefits. If you can alchemize feedback into useful revision, you can take your work to the next level. Challenge yourself. The results are worth the effort.
by Naomi | Nov 10, 2016 | Creative Life
Creativity often shows up at the intersection of various thoughts. Here are three to ponder … what do they spark for you?
“It’s not a silly question if you can’t answer it.”
― Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World
“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
“Which would you rather be if you had the choice–divinely beautiful or dazzlingly clever or angelically good?”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
by Naomi | Nov 3, 2016 | Creative Life
When you ask a friend or advisor for feedback, you’re both up against a number of challenges.
Your advisor:
- Doesn’t know all the ideas you’ve tried and tossed out
- Hasn’t researched, thought, and tinkered with this question or creation for as many hours as you have
- (Hopefully) Wants to give helpful feedback to move you forward without discouraging you
You:
- Have invested significant time and want that time to add up to successful results
- Have made the project as strong as possible, given your current perspective and skill set
- (Hopefully) Are passionate about your project, and therefore, you have skin in the game
Given the challenges, does it make sense for you to seek feedback at all?
You and your advisor are knowingly putting yourselves into a situation filled with the potential for misunderstanding and conflict. Why risk it?
Because you:
- Have invested significant time and need to understand how others might react to your creation once you release it into the world
- Have blind spots because of your current perspective and skill set, which others can see more clearly than you can
- Care about your project’s success, and therefore, are willing to tackle your ego, engage with honest feedback, and exercise your resilience through the revision process
Whether you’re writing a novel, developing an app, or designing a lesson plan, your creative process will yield stronger results if you seek feedback at key points along the way. Often when we seek feedback, we want to give our advisors room. So, we ask a wide-open question along the lines of, “What do you think?” However, when we’re on the receiving end of such a question, we immediately see the problem. The most likely answer to “What do you think?” in an emotionally fraught situation is, “Ummm…”
So, what might you ask instead?
Give your advisor an opportunity to read the section, play with the app, or review your lesson plan. Then, give these questions a try:
1. What do you know?
Answers to this question confirm how successfully you’ve communicated. Will your reader or user be able to navigate without you sitting beside him and explaining? For a lesson plan, try adapting this question to: What will a student know after this lesson? For other creative situations, adaptation might also be required. One strong substitute for this question in visual and musical arts can be, “What do you feel?”
2. What do you think you know?
Answers to this question provide insight about what your work might infer. Consider whether these nuances are desirable––and how you can play them up or remove them. Make sure that any information that you mean to make clear doesn’t show up in this more fuzzy category. Watch for opportunities, here, too. Sometimes an answer to this question will reveal a thematic layer or new possibility that opens up new depth in your work.
3. What do you want to know?
Answers to this question reveal the questions your work evokes. Sometimes these questions reveal aspects of the project that have not been fully realized. Other times, these questions confirm the desired impact of your work, or provide you with ideas for follow-up projects.
Of course, some feedback sessions call for a different set of questions. However, in many situations, this set of questions structures a productive conversation that allows for honest feedback. Your advisor will confidently be able to help you, and you will be able to absorb the feedback without becoming defensive.
Why seek feedback?
The value in seeking feedback from an advisor isn’t in having her fix the problems for you. In fact, given the time invested, even if your advisor is more experienced than you in general, YOU are the expert on your specific project. What you want from your advisor is his outside perspective, which is often helpfully informed. With that perspective, your advisor can help you identify problems. Then, you can set about resolving the problems through brainstorming, research, and iteration.
What project are you working on that would benefit from outside perspective? Who might you ask to review your work and answer these three questions? Try it out, offer your feedback in exchange, and see how your work develops.
