With over two decades of UX and Design experience under my belt I feel confident to say that I know a thing or two about the discipline. The purpose of undertaking a Masters in the topic is to formalise my academic credentials but also to discover what it really means to be a UX Designer. My intention was to dig deeper.
My experience will be incredibly useful through my studies. It offers me a leg up in certain areas that I specialise in my day to day work, and enables me to reference the successes and failures of my portfolio of projects. However, experience can also be a hindrance. Ways of thinking have been ingrained in neural pathways, processes have been established as artefacts from projects, and opinions have formed as reactionary reposts in response to things I’ve seen before. My goal is to find a way to use my experience but also learn abundantly with an open mind.
Zen Buddhism may offer a solution through the concept of ‘A Beginners Mind’.
Defining a beginners mind is simple, everyone had one once. It’s about dropping expectations, experiencing the moment as it happens, forgetting preconceived ideas and seeing things with an open mind that is non-judgmental. Thinking like a beginner is akin to child-like wonder. Practically this idea is a powerful tool, and particularly helpful when it comes to learning. Considering learning material with an open minded curiosity allows you the freedom to engage with it without judgement. As Shunryu Suzuki put it in Zen mind, beginner’s mind:
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.
It’s important to note that an expert’s mind still contains possibilities of course, but a beginner is unencumbered by the weight of past experience and can therefore move forward quickly with freedom.
Cultivating a more open mindset is certainly a worthwhile endeavour, and perhaps having a beginners mind while learning and an experts mind while reflecting my learning could be a winning combination.
Rick Rubin, in his book The Creative Act: A Way of Being says:
Tuning in to what enlivens us in the moment instead of what we think will work. And making our decisions accordingly. Any preconceived ideas and accepted conventions limit what’s possible. We tend to believe that the more we know, the more clearly we can see the possibilities available. This is not the case. The impossible only becomes accessible when experience has not taught us limits.
Whether it’s in rapid ideation, cultivating creative ideas or consuming learning materials, having a beginners mind may provide an optimistic way to engage more deeply.
For my practice I will cultivate this mindset through breathing exercises, affirmations and meditation before undertaking tasks or activities that I think will benefit from it. And with practice this may also become a positive way of being beyond my studies.
References
breathe (2017). Approaching Life with Beginner’s Mind. [online] zen habits. Available at: https://zenhabits.net/beginner/.
Suzuki, S. (2011). Zen mind, beginner’s mind : informal talks on Zen meditation and practice. Boston, Mass.: Shambhala ; Enfield.
Rubin, R. (2023). The Creative Act.