Dopp Juice Archive

I mentioned in a previous entry that I wander in bookstores to refocus my thoughts when I’m stuck or overwhelmed. To me, it seems like the obvious solution, but I’m learning that most people don’t use bookstores in that way. They actually go there to buy things, or something else equally useless. These people are missing out on an incredible tool. A bookstore is a room full of books. The more books, the better. Books are collections of writing that someone with money decided to publish. That usually (but certainly not always) means that there is some credible information in each book. These collections of credible information are organized on bookshelves with other collections of different credible information on similar subjects. It sounds like an ordinary thing, but the implications for a creative person are tremendous. All you need to do when you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed is walk into a bookstore and wander. Walk by all the shelves. Browse. Poke at different books. Eventually you’ll find yourself compelled to a certain area. Pull up a stool and camp out there for a bit. After flipping through a handful of books on this shelf, you’ll start to form the answers you’ve been looking for, even if you never formed the questions. If you simply open your mind to the possibility of discovery, the collective wisdom of a hundred thousand writers — living or dead — will pour into your awareness in subtle spurts, and you’ll leave with a place to go. Well, at least it works for me.

Good blog entries deserve to be passed on… like a game of telephone. 52 Projects told 43 Folders, who told me that…

Today is the day you start your project. Wake up. Make your coffee. Sit down. Get to work. Now, it should be that simple. Wake up and get to work. But there are many distractions. Mental and otherwise. So this is NOT a to-do list. This is a not-to-do list. You don’t need to check anything off, because these are things YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO.

The List is hillarious and oh-so-true. These are the ones I need to keep in mind:

• Do not Google yourself.
• Do not Google all your Exes.
• Do not start thinking you are never going to finish.
• Do not go to IMDB to see who that actor was in that movie you saw the other night.
• Do not start reading your old journal entries.
• Do not start wading through all the magazines you subscribe to but never read.

On a more serious note, while this is all well and good and entertaining, it’s pretty self-defeating. When you use a negative form, your brain hears the action, and not much else. When you say don’t Google yourself, your brain hears Google yourself, and it has no choice but to focus on it. As George Lakoff in his fabulous progressive handbook, says, “Don’t think of an elephant! Whatever you do, do NOT think of an elephant!” Okay, so did you? Don’t lie. While actual To-Do lists can be just another way to kill time, they do help train your brain to focus on what you can do. If you can articulate steps and write them down in order, you can focus on real actions, and you can limit your thoughts to what’s next. The first thing I do when I’m getting overwhelmed is make a To-Do list for everything that’s in my head.The second thing I do is go to the bookstore to wander. But more on that another time.

I often turn to my friends and family for feedback on the websites I build. They care about me and usually want to know what projects I’m working on. Why not tap into that interest to help improve my projects with real opinions from the outside world? The exchange usually goes like this: I’ll send out emails to a few people, explaining why the website is important and asking for their opinions on it. After a few days, I’ll receive one of two responses:

1. “Looks great!”
2. Silence.

This isn’t helpful, and it happens all too often in our culture. People don’t trust their own opinions. They either offer a vague pat on the back, or they avoid the interaction altogether. Most people are afraid of two things: they don’t want to offend, and they don’t want to look foolish. In other words, they’d rather keep their opinions to themselves. In this situation, I would love to hear any of these responses:

• I like the design, but when I read I keep getting distracted by the logo. Maybe it’s too bright.
• It’s really easy to navigate.
• The text is too small. It makes me not want to read it.
• I think it could use more color.
• Are there supposed to be more articles? The reference to articles at the bottom of the page made me expect more than I found.
• It’s pretty and easy to use. I understand everything on it. I can’t see anything that needs improvement.
• Woah. This is really confusing. I don’t even know where to click or what I’d be looking for.
• I found a link that doesn’t work. It’s in the last sentence on the “About” page.
• The content looks really helpful. I’m going to tell my gardening club friends about it. I think they’ll like the pesticide tips. Maybe you should make those easier to find, rather than buried at the bottom of the “About Plants” page.

Okay, I’m starting to ramble, but I hope you get my point. When I ask friends to review my work, I want to know how it impacts them. As unique people. They are human. Their opinions matter.When someone asks you for feedback, think out loud for them. Yes, they want to hear what they did well, but they also want to know where things can be improved. Be specific. Your opinion is valuable, even when it’s simply “I don’t get it.” Your friend will thank you. Thank you, friends.