Incomplete Manifesto for Growth (Exercise 4)

I wanted to break down the manifesto harvesting what I could from each point and responding accordingly

Allow events to change you.
To me this relates to being open minded, and this does not necessarily mean that these events will be good things. We have to seek the silver lining and learn from the things that happen to use, take a step back, study ,and observe these events.

Forget about good.
I'm often guilty of judging something as being 'good' however just as any other qualities 'good' cannot be measured and is therefore a waste. I want to strive for what I want personally, whether it is considered good or not. "Don't be fucking trendy" as Good Fucking Design Advice puts it, break away from trying to be good and see how far you can go. Good is a limit.
Process is more important than outcome

Process is more important than outcome.
If you love what you do no doubt you have to be able to enjoy the steps taken to get to where you want to be. I love my final products, and recently I've started documenting the process from concept to final product, there's something about process that really fascinates me. I've often been told that I show too much process and not enough final product. I believe that we shouldn't hide our process like a secret, as if we are the only ones in the world that do things in that specific way, by sharing we can only learn from each other.

Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child).
Bruce talks about the fun of failure, this failure that we experience every day gives us newer ideas and perspectives on things, failures shouldn't be treated as a negative thing, and we need to embrace our failures as learning experiences, that's how we grow after all. Be proud of your failures, the more you have the more it's testament that you have been doing something, you cant fail if you don't do.

Go deep.
The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.Capture accidents.
The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.

Study.

Working on a project usually involves learning, and if it seems like it doesn't then inject new methods to benefit from a project you've done before. Do it slightly differently this time.

Drift.

Go outside, use irrational and spontaneous decisions, don't over-think it

Begin anywhere.

I'm one of those people that is always afraid to start things, less so now than a year or so ago but there are still projects that I see as some sort of mental obstacle. The truth is that you have to start somewhere, if you've been taught to start at a specific place every single time, forget it. Begin anywhere, have a rough idea of where you want to end up and enjoy the ride along the way.

Everyone is a leader.

Follow people when it makes sense to do so, if you want to lead then take charge, teach people and let them teach you in return.

Harvest ideas.

Change what it does. If an idea has a specific purpose apply it elsewhere and see the results. Stefan Sagmeister suggests making sticky notes with random words written on them eg : umbrella + headphones =? 

The application might not be suited to the idea, but that might spark more ideas, more paths to think along.

Keep moving.

Don't get stuck doing the same thing over and over even if you are very successful at it, this leads to stagnation. Success is reinforced everywhere today, children are constantly being pressured to succeed. Avoid soul destroying jobs.

Slow down.

Take a break, do things at an unusual time, relax and take a look around, go for a walk.

Don’t be cool.

This relates very much to 'Don't be Fucking Trendy'. Being cool is unquantifiable, its a false sense and unfortunately we have been indoctrinated into what's cool and what's not, and even that is changing at a constant rate.

Ask stupid questions.

Everything has an answer, take it slow and ask the questions you want to ask, it wont hurt anyone.

Collaborate.

Ideas don't exist within us, and nobody is more creative than the next person, designer or not, let others influence you.

Intentionally left blank. 

Leave some space for input, show people what you have even if it's unfinished and let them fill in the missing spots with their ideas.

Stay up late.

Sometimes it's necessary to stay up late, sometimes one can just do it because they feel like it.

Work the metaphor.

Everything has the capacity to take on other meanings and shapes, use these metaphors to your advantage, find different uses and meanings for objects and words.

Be careful to take risks.

Slowly work your way up a ladder, everything you do today will carry over tomorrow.

Repeat yourself.
Do things over and over, whether you like them or not, don't forget to try something new.

Make your own tools.
Don't get stuck using the same tools. Use your hands, feet, mouth and apply other unusual methods.

Stand on someone’s shoulders.
The trials and triumphs of others can only be harvested for your own good, learn and copy from those that you deem great.

Avoid software.
It's hard not to avoid software especially in a digital sense where it's pretty much mandatory. Avoid it when you can and use your hands and brain.

Don’t clean your desk.
Just clean the dust.

Don’t enter awards competitions.
Spec work.

Read only left-hand pages.
This is an interesting concept, when reading a book skip all the right handed pages and move on, fill in the blanks on your own. Use your imagination.

Make new words.
Pretty self eploratrickoratory

Think with your mind.
Don't depends on devices to create. Good design is good design irrespective of medium.

Don’t borrow money.
Maintain financial control, practice greed control and spend your money if not wisely at least consciously.

Listen carefully.
Everyone you ever work with is going to have something to bring to the table. Some will be good, some not so good. Learn to distinguish between them and take peoples advice if you deem it worthwhile, give out your own advice, pass on god knowledge that you gained from someone.

Take field trips.
The more you go out and see stuff, the more stuff you are going to be able to take from for project. Stuff is great, look at it, touch it, feel it. Stuff stuffidy stuff stuff.

Make mistakes faster.
The faster you make mistakes the more you will learn in a shorter period of time. Do.

Imitate.

We would never have so many great artist and designers out there if they did'int copy each other. Everyone has something of their own to bring to the table and you can only learn by copying people's ideas and methods. Just make sure you are doing it legally.

Scat.
Make up non words, rhyme them.

Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.

Explore the other edge.
Use a variety of techniques that have been long forgotten or phased out by modern technology.

Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms.
Bruce is saying that the real epiphanies and growing up happens outside of the places we would like them to happen. The things we take for granted are also some of the most important catalysts for growth.

Avoid fields.
Break the rules once in a while, just know what the rules are first.

Laugh.
Pretty self explanatory. Laughing releases happy hormones.

Remember.
If you have a 'bad memory' then write things down, post them, pin them, tatoo them on your head(don't do that) Without history there would be no growth, as those who came before us already made the mistakes.

Power to the people.
Be free. Empower yourself.

I may have repeated a few things here and there but this is my understanding of what Bruce Mau is aiming to say and I agree with it 100%. And the above doesn't just apply to the design field, it can be applied to a any profession, the manifesto provides the points on how to make innovation happen. 

Bruce Mau : Incomplete Manifesto for Growth http://www.brucemaudesign.com/4817/112450/work/incomplete-manifesto-for-growth