
Looking to Get Creative? Leave the Echo Chamber. Drink. Skip SxSW. - startupstella
http://www.entrepreneursunpluggd.com/blog/skip-sxs
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caseorganic
SXSW is a very efficient place to go if you stick to the sidelines, hang out
at a nearby coffeeshop and do work. You end up meeting more people that way,
seeing familiar faces, and getting more done. Every year I've been there I've
gotten things done more quickly (business deals, press meetings, customer
feedback) simply because of the sheer volume of people there.

The key is to pick a spot to camp out at, and invite people to meet you there.
It creates stability and easy collaboration. I am always surprised by the new
and old people I run into there. Easier than spending a week or month going
back and forth on E-mails trying to meet.

Allowing serendipity to run it's course is quite efficient. The creativity
comes from the conversations and living knowledge in small groups and hangout
sessions vs. the panels and the ads. There are many layers to big events like
this.

~~~
startupstella
I totally agree with you. There are huge business development advantages to
having all of your potential partners in one place for a few days. My point is
that the environment doesn't really breed creativity as opposed to
collaboration.

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peterwwillis
Looking to get creative? How about doing something which actually develops
creative thought? Getting drunk does not sharpen your mind, nor does it help
you explore new venues of thought (other than whatever you typically self-
inhibit as a sober person).

Play trivia games. Learn a new [natural] language. Paint. Write a song. Go and
socialize with people you have very little in common with - look for new
connections. But leave the alcohol behind.

~~~
lrobb
Getting a buzz from booze may boost creativity:
[http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338406/title/Vodk...](http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338406/title/Vodka_delivers_shot_of_creativity)

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nwenzel
So then the question that follows is how do you prevent any niche gathering,
digital or real world, from becoming an echo chamber? Don't all like-minded
groups eventually become echo chambers? Even HN runs a risk of becoming an
echo chamber as a group of like-minded people that quickly popularize a news
story and then comment/respond in similar fashion.

I'm not saying that to bash HN. I love HN. I learn more from the stories and
comments than any other source. I think "regular news" (RN?) is mostly a mix
of garbage and entertainment. I like having like-minded individuals to learn
from. I don't want to spend time in groups that talk about which Hollywood
celebrity of the month is getting married/divorced/hired/fired/honored/dissed.

I think a diversity of participants, diversity of opinion, and diversity of
passions is a good start. I think we have that here (even if in a somewhat
narrow slice of diversity). After that, do we just hope for the best?

~~~
alaskamiller
You start with yourself.

A lot of people spend time knowing which Hollywood celebrity of the month is
getting married. If you shut yourself off from that you're just creating your
own little bubble.

We always live in bubbles. The only thing you have is figuring out how much
you're willing to leave the safety and comfort of that and learn something
new.

Instead of dismissing it as useless.

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davemel37
There are actually two types of creativity, one much more powerful than the
other, and while I can't speak for SXSW because I have never been there, from
your post I can infer that the creativity you are referring to is limited at
an event like SxSW, but the much more powerful creativity is abundant at a
large gathering of like minded folks.

Here is how Napoleon Hill breaks it down.

Synthetic Imagination: "Through this faculty one may arrange old concepts,
ideas, or plans into new combinations. This faculty "creates" nothing. It
merely works with the material of experience, education, and observation of
which it is fed."

"Creative Imagination: Through the faculty of creative imagination the finite
mind of humankind has direct communication with infinite intelligence. This is
the faculty for which hunches and inspirations are received. It is by this
faculty that all basic or new ideas are developed. It is by this faculty that
thought vibrations from the minds of others are received. And it is through
this faculty that one individual can "tune in to" or communicate with the
subconscious minds of others. The faculty functions by ONLY when the conscious
mind is vibrating at an exceedingly rapid rate, as for example when the
conscious mind is stimulated through the emotions of a strong desire."

These desires that make the mind vibrate at an exceptional rate are: "The
Desire For...sex,love, fame, power, money, music, friendship, harmony of two
or more people who ally themselves for spiritual or temporal advancement,
mutual suffering, autosuggestion, fear, narcotics and alcohol. "

While I am not a psychologist, and Napoleon Hill formulated these concepts
close to a century ago, so I can't speak to where "Creative Imagination"
really comes from...I certainly believe that there are strokes of genius that
are not simply arranging old concepts into new combinations, but more like
paradigm shifts that completely change the way to see a problem and create for
it.

I would think that an event like SxSW would have thousands of people whose
minds are vibrating at an extremely high rate, and It is probably a great
place to trigger true sparks of genius.

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epikur
The link currently redirects to a page that asks for my email, and the "skip
this step" button doesn't work. This is a bit frustrating.

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minipark
Has the site been hackernews'd? It seems to be down right now. Is there a
cached version somewhere else?

~~~
timjahn
Unfortunately, it has. :( Working on it though.

Ironically, I can't even get to the site to start a migration over to WP
Engine.

Sorry about that!

~~~
rachelbaker
If you have a backup of the site - you can install a caching plugin. That will
help with the load until you can move to Cloudflare or move the hosting to
WPEngine.

~~~
timjahn
We have a caching plugin (which performs well under normal conditions). The
problem is the server (or lack thereof).

We're moving over to WP Engine tonight.

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drivebyacct2
Is it bad that I picture SxSW and groan, and then picture it full of pseudo-
nerds who think they're nerds because they own an iPhone and then groan even
more?

~~~
zafriedman
I think most of the negative comments are based on people having absolutely no
idea about the reality of SXSW. I'm not in a position to spend $950 on a
ticket either, so what did I do? Instead of staying home wishing I was there
and masquerading that under contempt for the entire festival, I hoped on the
StartupBus www.startupbus.com. We drove from LA to Austin and started a
company and built a web app in 3 days. I worked with the best team of
designers and developers I ever have. On the way there, I pitched to Dave
McClure, who told me the beer I brought him was "fucking cold". Once we got to
Austin, I met some of the most interesting and accomplished developers,
designers and entrepreneurs I ever have. I talked to Eric Ries and pitched him
my half baked idea I thought of on the way to the party we met at. How much
did my accommodations cost you ask? $35 a night. I snuck into a few events and
heard Steve Blank talk about his new book. Hasn't anyone ever seen Boiler
Plate? When someone asks you if you are registered for the festival, just "act
as if". My point is that you can go down to SXSW for less than a grand and
still have amazing networking and learning opportunities. Now if I could only
figure out how to make up for all the time I lost prepping for finals :)

~~~
zafriedman
EDIT: Dave actually told me the beer was "warm". Sorry for the typo, and
thanks to Dave :)

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funkah
Huh. I've found SxSW can help stimulate ideas, because you end up talking to
so many different people and break out of your normal routine. It's not an
echo chamber if you don't live in the bay area.

It's pretty miserable for other reasons though, I doubt I will ever go again.

