Hello epiphany. how ya doin? The joys of chaos
Holy heck. It just dawned on me. The presentation i’ve wanted to pull together for years has just found me. I am not an orator by nature, but i work very hard to hold my own. One of the things that holds me back at times is wondering if I truly have something to say. I have realistic expectations about the power of my words, but I never want to crank out a presentation that doesn’t add some value to the conversation at large.
So, what’s the big epiphany?
For many years I have been saying that what I do is “not about making order out of chaos, it is about finding the order within it.” After giving a presentation last week to a group of students I finally made that point the thread that tied my presentation together. It was a passable draft, but the key was – that was the first time I had made that mantra the focal point of my discussion.
With that statement in mind I have been doing a lot of looking into (read – ‘performing google searches regarding’) people who are comfortable with chaos, and or ‘finding the order within it’. The resources range from self-help books to Navy SEAL culture – that one is really quite fascinating.
User Experience has virtually nothing in common with the job of a Navy Seal for sure. The interesting point was how they promote a culture the thrives on chaos and pushes through no matter what obstacle gets in their way. So often I feel like projects aim to create order out of chaos and plan every detail. The most successful projects I’ve worked on have been with teams who could adapt and roll with the punches.
Every deliverable we create is in an effort to find that order and to communicate with others that we can see it. somewhere amid the myriad choices and options, there is a digital experience, product, or solution that will be successful.
I am postulating that unique experiences are created by those who are comfortable with chaos and who are able to stand back and let the solutions emerge. This could either go really well, or become a Malcolm Gladwell knock-off.
So… That’s it. That’s my perspective to share… i am going to work on that now. i’ll keep both of you posted.
Collecting resources (just a collection at this point):
- Twitter looks chaotic: but don’t be afraid By Gaby Hinsliff guardian.co.uk
- Be creative amid chaos By David Allen11 May 09
- The 2007 Giants: Comfortable in Chaos By David Finkelstein (Contributor) on May 15, 2009
- Leadership Lessons of the Navy SEALS By Jeff Cannon, Jon Cannon
- Getting comfortable with chaos 30th May 09 by Ben Malbon & Heidi Hackemer
- “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
- 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School [Hardcover]Matthew Frederick “Properly gaining control of the design process tends to feel like one is losing control of the design process”
