134: Bounded Contexts and Core Subdomains

Distilling complex domain identifying the core subdomains

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Off Topic: Enhancing Creativity through Constraints

Use constraints and limitations to your advantage. Having limited resources boosts creativity, so embrace the challenge. Once you're ready for people to see your work, the internet is the best tool because people worldwide can find your work.

Posts lists of the best books you've read lately with a review of what made each book memorable. Share your completed work and some glimpses of your creative process so that others can learn from you (and you can learn from them). Create a website and a social media presence. As you interact with people online, remember you can only please some. If someone doesn't like your work, ignore them and refocus on the process of making your art. If their words make you angry, all the better. That anger is an excellent motivator for creative work.

Once you've studied your creative influences in-depth, it's time to start creating. Yet, the opposite is true: The process of making art is how you'll come to understand yourself. The only way to become an artist is to make art, even if you're not an expert. The best way to get started as an artist is to copy the work of your creative heroes. Making copies will help you better understand how the original creator made that piece of art. Once you know your creative voice, you must decide what to create. Think about the art that speaks to you and try to make it, even if it's not what you're used to. This contradicts the standard advice to "write (or draw or paint or build) what you know," which is a recipe for boring art.

Once you've decided what to make, how should you make it? If you do all your work, getting away from the computer for a while and incorporating an analog component might change your perspective on the work. In contrast, working on a computer makes it easier to censor your ideas before you can explore them. It's time to start creating. If that sounds scary, you're in good company. 

[^]: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Unrelated: Balancing Work and Creativity

One way to get your finances in order is to find a job outside your creative endeavors. A day job provides benefits beyond financial stability: It gives you a routine to build on, so you can slot in creative time every day. Although financial security is essential, Be cautious about spending too much time at work. Find a hobby—something you do for the joy of it. 

Organizing your life to support creativity is to use the right tools. First, use a calendar to track your creative progress. Crossing off each day on the calendar that you work on your creative projects. Aim to work daily to have an unbroken line of Xs on the calendar. The more X's you accumulate in a row, the more inspired you'll be to keep going. Once you embrace the creative influence other artists have on you, your job is to curate that influence.

Find a hobby—something you do for the joy of it. The pursuit doesn't need to be related to your work. Hobbies will improve your creativity by encouraging you to draw new connections. Use constraints and limitations to your advantage. Having limited resources boosts creativity, so embrace the challenge.

[^]: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

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