A version of the talk I gave at the Happy Startup Summercamp 2014, about the creation of Flow Engines, a way to help yourself work at a faster rate by getting more quickly into a flow state using Artefact Cards (http://artefactshop.com/). I've added additional commentary and explanation.

1. @WILLSH
21.09.2014
HAPPY STARTUP CAMP
DEEPEST SUSSEX…
51.102816, -0.006946
FLOW ENGINES
HACK THE WAY YOU WORK,
NOT THE TIME YOU HAVE
!
!
JOHN V WILLSHIRE
SMITHERY / ARTEFACT CARDS

2. @WILLSH
OHAI I’M JOHN
I RUN SMITHERY,
AND MAKE ARTEFACT CARDS…

3. @WILLSH
SMITHERY,
IN A DICTIONARY,
HAS TWO
HANDY
MEANINGS…

4. @WILLSH

5. @WILLSH
“WORK OF…”

6. @WILLSH
“WORK OF”
“GOODS MADE”

7. @WILLSH
THIS IS A TALK WHICH
IS RELEVANT FOR
ARTEFACT CARDS,
BUT IS BASICALLY ABOUT
THE WAY WE WORK
!(OR, MORE IMPORTANTLY, DON’T)

8. @WILLSH

9. I SPEND LESS TIME NOW WORRYING
IF ARTEFACT CARDS WORK
BUT MORE TIME WONDERING
WHY THEY WORK…
@WILLSH

10. @WILLSH
IN AUGUST, I SPENT 30 DAYS
THINKING ABOUT ALL THE
SMITHERY PROJECTS SO FAR…
AND IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
MAKING A DIFFERENT BETWEEN
PEOPLE & SPACE…

11. @WILLSH

12. @WILLSH
*BTW
!YOU CAN READ ALL
THE POSTS FROM
THE PROJECT HERE:
!HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/65

13. @WILLSH
AS PART OF IT, I STARTED
THINKING ABOUT THE WAY WE
WORK AS A SIMPLE VARIANT OF
A WELL-WORN EQUATION…

14. @WILLSH

15. @WILLSH

16. @WILLSH

17. @WILLSH

18. @WILLSH

19. @WILLSH
WHAT IF:
!BY CHANGING THE
SPACE WE WORK IN…
!….WE CHANGE THE
RATE WE WORK AT?

20. @WILLSH
IT MADE ME THINK
ABOUT WHY THE
ARTEFACT CARDS HELP
PEOPLE WORK REALLY
QUICKLY AND WELL…

21. “FLOW ENGINES”
@WILLSH

22. @WILLSH
FLOW ENGINE
!A WAY TO TURN CREATIVE
ENERGY INTO PRODUCTIVE
FORWARD MOTION

23. @WILLSH
FLOW
!IN WHICH A PERSON PERFORMING
AN ACTIVITY IS FULLY IMMERSED IN
A FEELING OF ENERGISED FOCUS,
FULL INVOLVEMENT, AND
ENJOYMENT IN THE PROCESS
WIKIPEDIA

24. @WILLSH
“YOU KNOW THAT WHAT YOU
NEED TO DO IS POSSIBLE TO DO,
EVEN THOUGH DIFFICULT, AND
SENSE OF TIME DISAPPEARS.
YOU FORGET YOURSELF.
YOU FEEL PART OF
SOMETHING LARGER.”
!
- MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI

25. @WILLSH
A VERY
INTERESTING
BOOK (WITH AN
ADMITTEDLY
CREEPY TITLE)

26. CREATING A
SENSE OF FLOW 1 IT SUGGESTS
@WILLSH 7TRIGGERS FOR
THERE ARE

27. 3ENVIRONMENTAL
TRIGGERS
@WILLSH I’M MOST
INTERESTED
IN THE

28. @WILLSH
I’VE MUCKED ABOUT
WITH THEM A LITTLE
TO EVOLVE A VERSION
FOR USING WITH
ARTEFACT CARDS…

29. @WILLSH
1. CONSEQUENCES
2. ENVIRONMENT
3. EMBODIMENT SOURCE: STEVEN KOTLER
“THE RISE OF SUPERMAN”

30. FIRST TRIGGER:
CONSEQUENCES
@WILLSH

31. @WILLSH
STATE AT THE BEGINNING OF
ANY TASK - WHAT HAVE I
GOT TO DO, AND WHAT
HAPPENS IF I DON’T?
!IT FOCUSSES THE MIND…

32. YOU’RE AIMING FOR THIS CHANNEL
@WILLSH
SOURCE: GAMASUTRA

33. @WILLSH
WHAT I’VE NOTICED
IS THAT IT REALLY
HELPS TO WRITE
ANY OBJECTIVE
DOWN ON ONE
ARTEFACT CARD…

34. @WILLSH
SECOND TRIGGER:
ENVIRONMENT

35. @WILLSH
CREATING A DIVERSE,
RICH ENVIRONMENT OF
STIMULATING MATERIAL
TO WORK WITH CREATES
MORE CONNECTIONS,
AND BETTER IDEAS

36. @WILLSH
KOTLER SUGGEST THREE
WAYS OF DOING THIS…

37. NOVELTY
THINGS YOU
HAVEN’T SEEN
BEFORE
@WILLSH

38. COMPLEXITY LETTING YOUR MIND SIFT THROUGH THE
IMPLICATIONS OF A MULTIFACETED WORLD
@WILLSH

39. UNPREDICTABILITY
@WILLSH
KEEP PEOPLE GUESSING…
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN NEXT

40. @WILLSH
CREATING THIS RICH ENVIRONMENT
PHYSICALLY ON THE ARTEFACT CARDS
ALLOWS YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION TO
MOVE ELEMENTS AND MAKE
CONNECTIONS MORE QUICKLY
AND NATURALLY

41. @WILLSH
THIRD TRIGGER:
EMBODIMENT

42. @WILLSH
HOW DO
YOU MAKE
TEN FINGERS,
TWO EYES AND
A BRAIN PAY
ATTENTION?

43. @WILLSH
QUICKLY MAKING A
PHYSICAL OBJECT OF
YOUR IDEA, LIKE AN
ARTEFACT CARD,
BRINGS IT INTO THE
WORLD IN A TANGIBLE,
TESTABLE WAY.

44. CONSEQUENCES ENVIRONMENT
@WILLSH
EMBODIMENT
WAS IT THAT
SIMPLE, THEN?
THREE SIMPLE
ENVIRONMENT
AL TRIGGERS,
IN ORDER?

45. @WILLSH
I REALISED THAT IT
WASN’T JUST THE
THREE TRIGGERS, BUT
THE REINFORCEMENT
OF EACH IN THE OTHER
TWO STEPS…

46. @WILLSH STEP 1

47. @WILLSH
CONSEQUENCES
ENVIRONMENT
EMBODIMENT
STEP 1

48. @WILLSH
STEP 1
PRIMARY: CONSEQUENCES
SET UP THE THING THAT YOU NEED TO
DO, AND WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T
SECONDARY: ENVIRONMENT
USE SCENE SETTING - E.G. “PRETEND
IT’S FIVE YEARS IN THE FUTURE”
TERTIARY: EMBODIMENT
MAKE EVERYONE WRITE DOWN THE
TASK AS THEY UNDERSTAND IT

49. @WILLSH
STEP 2

50. @WILLSH
CONSEQUENCES
ENVIRONMENT
EMBODIMENT
STEP 2

51. @WILLSH
STEP 2
PRIMARY: ENVIRONMENT
CREATE A RICH TAPESTRY OF THE NEW,
THE COMPLEX, AND/OR THE UNEXPECTED
SECONDARY: EMBODIMENT
CREATE AS MUCH OF THIS WORLD IN PHYSICAL
SPACE; LET PEOPLE MAKE CONNECTIONS QUICKLY
TERTIARY: CONSEQUENCES
CONTINUALLY REFER BACK TO THE
TASK - WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

52. @WILLSH STEP 3

53. @WILLSH
CONSEQUENCES
STEP 3
ENVIRONMENT
EMBODIMENT

54. @WILLSH
STEP 3
PRIMARY: EMBODIMENT
MAKE A PHYSICAL VERSION OF YOUR
IDEA USING THE ARTEFACT CARDS
SECONDARY: CONSEQUENCES
REFER BACK TO THE TASK; HOW DOES
THIS ANSWER THE FIRST CARD?
TERTIARY: ENVIRONMENT
USE THE OTHER PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
YOU’VE DRAWN FROM TO BACK IT UP

55. @WILLSH
CONSEQUENCES
ENVIRONMENT
EMBODIMENT
THIS IS A
FLOW ENGINE

56. @WILLSH
A FLOW ENGINE CAN
HELP YOU HACK THE WAY
YOU WORK, INSTEAD OF
WORRYING ABOUT THE
TIME YOU HAVE…

57. @WILLSH
TRY AND BUILD
YOURSELF SOME
FLOW ENGINES WITH
ARTEFACT CARDS

58. @WILLSH
21.09.2014
HAPPY STARTUP CAMP
DEEPEST SUSSEX…
51.102816, -0.006946
THANK YOU
!
!
JOHN V WILLSHIRE
ARTEFACTSHOP.COM