Single tasking; Rise of creativity; Image makers

Milk, No Sugar #254

💡Think

It’s in our nature to be inquisitive. We’re social beings, and we want to learn about each other by asking questions. As creatives, we’re also tasks with learning about our users through more structured interviews where our goal is to unearth findings.

The issue here is that some people just don’t want to explain what’s really on their mind, and will conform to what they think you want them to say. This is social desirability bias.

We may come away from social or professional situations thinking that we’ve had a deep connection with someone, or managed to confirm our preconceived ideas, but biases can throw a spanner at this.

This is probably quite alarming, and you may be questioning all of your interactions, but don’t worry we’re all in the same boat.

A little tip to minimise this possibility is to firstly keep your questions as vague as they need to be, allowing the person to speak freely without expectation. The latter is something I’d advise we try more of anyway; we have two ears and one mouth, so let’s try and balance our communication as such.

Have a great week!

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📷 Look

Chiswick, London – From my Instagram

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📖 Read

❶ The benefits of single-tasking

This feels pointed at me, as I can never focus on just one thing at a time. I typically bounce between several tasks at the same time, which is why I‘m a bit of a nuisance on a Kanban board. Focussing on single tasks is proven to get more done, quicker. So why don’t we do it? Let’s blame our employers.

Read this article

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❷ The rise and rise of creativity

The concept is being creative is a relatively new thing, as in a few hundred years old (in the West, at least). So how has it gone from being a trivial eccentricity, to an in-demand skill that can reap rewards much richer than the previously leading “hard work”?

Read this article

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❸ Image-makers and the climate crisis

It’s hard to ignore the burgeoning green-tech advertising boom. Most companies are cashing in on a switch to greener solutions, which we’re of course all very happy about, but it turns out that it’s just not that straight forward. There are companies pumping dollars into these campaigns, whilst at the same time working to create policies that are in effect anti-green. So, when can creatives actually be destructive with our work?

Read this article

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Bonus round

• A graphic novel created entirely by homeless creatives

• A quick start guide to starting a design-first company

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🎧 Listen

Creative epiphanies

I really enjoyed this one. The host speaks with five creatives (from writers, to ballerinas) to discuss when they realised their passions.

When did you first realise that you really wanted to embark on your career? How did it feel? I remember being handed Microsoft Publisher in school and seeing a magazine cover come to life and thinking, okay folks this is a thing.

Listen (29 mins)

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🙌 Share

Enjoying Milk, No Sugar? I’d really appreciate it if you would share my tweet, or forward this to a friend.

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🙏 Thanks

Have a great week,
Luis Ouriach
@disco_lu