Deliberate dyslexia as a de-signing practice

This is the abstract and introduction of a paper I presented at the EGOS colloqium in 2012. In 2011 I submitted a short essay based on the same data material called Action at the whining range. The 2011 version was not accepted. The 2012 version won a prize for That's interesting! This is still work in progress, so I'd happily take suggestions that would improve the paper, or indeed, make it more interesting.   

Abstract

A strong focus on the need for crisis for change to happen can overshadow efforts to keep change processes joyful and continuous. This paper introduces the practice of “deliberate dyslexia”: a deliberate misreading activity that creates new words and concepts. New concepts are explored through repetition through story and transformation to physical manifestation. This might be understood as a de-signing practice that treats language as an inexhaustible resource of inspiration – it is a sensemaking practice based on joy and abundance. The practice has multiple effects and may be discussed in several ways: the balance between exploration/exploitation, the difference between craziness and unproductiveness, and the transformation from initiative to institution.

Hvor ble det av oppskriften? Om sprikende tenkning som viktig ingrediens for kreativitet

Den individuelt orienterte kreativitetsforskningen kan gi oss noen gode begreper på hvordan man går igjennom en kreativ prosess. I dag er temaet divergent og konvergent tenking, i vanlig språk kan vi si at det er å tenke henholdsvis sprikende og samlende. Sprikende tenking er der hvor man bare kobler sammen ting i vilden sky – et eksempel som ofte er brukt på hvor divergent man klarer å tenke er «Hvor mange bruksområder ser du for en binders eller murstein?» Det er forresten veldig lite kreativitet i de eksemplene, folk snakker alltid om enten binders eller murstein.