THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR CREATIVES
Listen, we’re creative entrepreneurs, but we’re also science nerds. And if this method is good enough for cancer research, it’s good enough for testing and changing any goals you have. Added bonus: using the scientific method will keep you from taking your efforts too personally.
MAKE AN OBSERVATION:
• I am not creatively fulfilled.
• I need more money to make my mortgage payment.
• I wish I had more Instagram followers.
ASK A QUESTION:
• Could pursuing art leave me creatively fulfilled?
• Will a marketing push get me more clients?
• Will using the same photo filter every time get me more Instagram followers?
FORM A HYPOTHESIS:
• Painting daily will make me feel happier and more content with my life and job.
• An email marketing campaign to my list of 1,000 subscribers will get me two clients.
• Posting photos using a consistent filter and cohesive color story will get me more Instagram followers.
CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENT:
• Spend two weeks rating your happiness on a scale of 1–10. Spend two weeks painting every day, rating your happiness on a scale of 1–10.
• Write and send out a email marketing campaign to your subscribers pitching your services for one week.
• Record the number of followers you currently have and then post one photo a day to your Instagram account using a consistent filter and cohesive color story for two weeks.
ANALYZE THE DATA AND DRAW A CONCLUSION:
• By analyzing my daily happiness score, I see that painting daily did make me feel happier. I will continue to paint daily.
• After completing the email marketing campaign, I secured one new client. Next time I will test sending a series of emails over a duration of two weeks.
• After consistently posting to Instagram using the same filter for two weeks, I gained forty-five new followers. I will continue using the same filter and cohesive color story, and pepper my Instagram feed with inspirational quotes to see if I can continue that growth.
See, we told you we were nerds.
NOW, WHAT EXPERIMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONDUCT?
| EXPERIMENT 1 | EXPERIMENT 2 | EXPERIMENT 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAKE AN OBSERVATION | |||
| ASK A QUESTION | |||
| FORM A HYPOTHESIS | |||
| CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENT | |||
| ANALYZE THE DATA AND DRAW A CONCLUSION |
TRY THIS: WHAT’S THE LAST THING YOU FREAKED OUT ABOUT? Money? Family drama? Criticism? Work? Take that circumstance and apply the worst-case scenario and best-case scenario to it. Take note of how those mindsets shift your reactions and behavior.
In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision.
—DALAI LAMA
Your thoughts create your reality. That doesn’t mean you can just think your way to being rich, successful, and famous, but you cannot deny that your thoughts create feelings, which motivate you to take action, which produces results that affect your original circumstances. Those new circumstances will lead to new thoughts.…
The beauty and the burden of your thoughts becoming things that show up in your physical world is that it’s all up to you. What is it that you want? Do your thoughts help you get closer to your goals or move you further away?
The first step in changing your thoughts to something productive and helpful, as always, is to become aware of what you’re thinking in the first place.
Meditation has made its way into mainstream conversation. Research on meditation is gaining traction and showing that everyone—from monks to CEOs—can benefit from quieting their minds. Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated or fussy. You can certainly set the mood with candles, incense, and essential oils, but all you really need is your breath and your awareness. Meditation will help you get quiet so you can examine your thoughts, tap into your intuition, and get clear about what you want, what serves you, and what doesn’t.
TRY THIS: MEDITATE FOR JUST FIVE MINUTES. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. If your mind wanders, that’s okay. Just keep practicing. You might also have better luck by following a guided meditation. We turn to the Headspace app when we can’t find the motivation to meditate on our own.
It takes more courage to be enthusiastic about the things you like than it does to be cynical about the stuff you don’t like.
Have you ever gotten together with a group of friends, only to bond over the things you don’t like? Venting is important. It’s good to know that we’re not alone in our problems, but all too often what starts as venting and processing turns into unproductive stories about how everything sucks. We’re not promoting a saccharine-sweet or Pollyanna attitude, where you pretend that life is puppies and rainbows when it’s not, but an overly negative demeanor, all the freaking time, will cause unnecessary suffering that takes a toll on your relationships, your work, and your life.
Complaining is lazy. Gossip is easy. Oftentimes, it’s easy for friends and colleagues to bond over what they don’t like rather than be enthusiastic about what they love. Being positive and doing fun stuff requires a little more effort. So here are a few tips and tricks for focusing on the good and talking about the things you like:
• Make a toast to the little victories you’ve accomplished in the past month.
• Share your favorite book, podcast, or television show with a friend. Tell him why you love it and why you think he might like it too.
• Share a helpful tip, trick, or tactic you’ve recently learned that makes work easier.
• Mail your favorite clients or creative peers a postcard with a love note on it.
• Be a tourist in your own city. We know it sounds cheesy, but one of the best ways to get out of a rut with where you live is to seek out the best spots you might otherwise take for granted. When was the last time you visited a local art museum or went on a hike?
• Send a friend an article that made you think of her.
• Challenge yourself to stop complaining. Take notice of how much you complain. Then take note of what happens when you stop verbalizing every complaint. You’ll be surprised how compulsive complaining can be, and how being accountable for your words will shift your attitude.