We live in a golden age of visualisation, design, and creativity. Yet, when it comes to our lives and careers, we tend to underutilise the power of doodles and doodling – perhaps because we feel more anxious and stressed out than ever. In the midst of all the chaos and the noise that surrounds us, we need to listen to ourselves to find our own strengths, values, and interests. This book will encourage you to participate in a series of practical, visual, and creative exercises aimed at developing your own voice and your ‘inspirational capital’. It is designed as a visual learning diary and a playful workbook to disrupt and re-make your career and life options – one doodle at a time.
Self-Making Studio is the very first and only visual toolkit in the world that bridges creative thinking, doodling, and self-exploration to develop employability and career skills. In this book, Dr. Fahri Karakas is building on his 15-year teaching experience across topics of self-making, creativity, design thinking, employability, and personal development. This is the first time Karakas shares pages from his famous diaries full of doodles, sketches, and exercises with the world. You are invited to a fun journey of learning, discovery, reflection, and inspiration. The goal? To develop employable and creative skills.
The book is the perfect gift for university students and young people - or for anyone interested in fresh and visual methods for career development and life design. It is also the perfect travel companion – bring along your pencil, but also your mind and heart.
- Get yourself prepared for the job market or a new career path
- Increase your confidence by exploring and building on your strengths
- Find out what brings out your excitement, curiosity, and enthusiasm
- Experiment with a diverse set of reflective, creative, and visual exercises to increase your professional skills, productivity, and happiness
- Learn the tools to design your life and career
- Imagine playful and fresh possibilities that will enlighten and inspire you
- Engage in a journey of self-exploration and unleash your best self
- Discover a unique methodology to increase your learning and creativity
"There’s never been anything quite like this. It’s a new way to free your thinking, and to dream a better future for yourself. The secret is a simple but magical thing – doodling. Fahri Karakas’s book is full of surprises, provocations and unpretentious wisdom."
Robert Jones, Head of New Thinking at Wolff Olins and Professor of Brand Leadership, UEA
“This book, filled with lovely doodles and sketches throughout, is a beautiful and thoughtful approach to helping people who are starting out on their careers as well as for those of us a bit later in our careers. The exercises are thought provoking and fun and help to tease out what is important for us in our careers and lives and how to match these with our dream job. As well as encouraging readers to be creative and reflective, this book also provides lots of practical tips and checklists to help with preparing job applications and interviews.”
Professor Fiona Lettice, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Innovation, University of East Anglia
