finding and keeping your creative motivation
DESCRIPTION
We've all seen it happen. A superstar artist drops a major label debut, catapults up the charts, goes on a world tour, packs stadiums, sells millions, rushes back into the studio and two months later emerges with the single most tragic album ever recorded. It flops. They fade away. The world moves on. Longevity haunts the music industry. It haunts ours too. Designers are overwhelmed. We're dejected. We're bored. And if we're not careful, we're lazy and later irrelevant. In my session we'll take a quick look at what it takes to find our creative motivation and how to hang on to it throughout our career. We'll look at pillars of our industry. We'll look at how they stay motivated, how they keep changing our industry and how, with simple steps and hard work, you can do the same.TRANSCRIPT
WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM?
BOBBY RAY
“Somebody take me back to the days,Back when I was rappin' for the hell of it,
But now a days we rappin' to stay relevant*.”
*I realize I will never be invited back to Web Design Day for quoting a top 40 song in my presentation.
DESIGNERS.Designers are a special breed of thinkers. We engage in the discussion
and help define solutions to the problems faced by society.
BERNARD CANNIFFE
“The sexy ones sell themselves, the challenge is selling, say hemorrhoid ointment.”
BERNARD CANNIFFE
“You’re only as good as your last project.”
DEVELOPERS.Developers create software tools that empower society to do things
better, faster, easier, and more securely.
CSS3HTML5jQuery
ExpressionEngineDrupal
WordpressObjective-C
Java
Social MediaAPI’s
TypekitTumblrDjangoPython
Moo ToolsGit
MOTIVATION.truths about
truth 1
Every new challenge, every new conflict, is an opportunity to lose our motivation.
truth 2
Motivation needs constant fulfillment.
truth 3
Your motivation is di!erent from mine.
truth 4
Motivations change.
FINDING YOUR MOTIVATION.part 1
1. Set Manageable Goals: Exercise discipline.
actionmethod.comculturedcode.com/things
2. Set Routines: You’re a creature of habit. That’s okay.
3. Seek a Community: Inspiration and Accountability
pittmfug.orgrefreshpittsburgh.org
refresh-dc.orgrefreshbmore.org
webdesignday.com (duh)flashpitt.com
pittsburgh.aiga.orgadcmw.org
4. Keep an archive: Journal. Twitter. Blog. Record.
5. Find a Mentor
KEEPING YOUR MOTIVATION.part 2
1. Experiment
2. Push yourself.
3. Eliminate your distractions.
4. Get Out: Nearly half of Americans don’t use their vacation days. Don’t be one of those people.
5. Give Back: Nothing will remind you how good you have it like sharing it with others.
pittsburghcares.orgvolunteerpittsburgh.com
artinstitutes.edu/pittsburgh
THANK YOU.
