David Williams
Dreamer
Hello, I´d like to share a resource that was useful for me in my music productions days, but has universal artistic and creative value.
There exists a set of cards called “oblique strategies” that were created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt back in the 70’s to promote creativity and lateral thinking for artists and producers. The wiki page explains the concept very concisely if you’re unfamiliar with it: Oblique Strategies - Wikipedia
You can still buy them or there are websites with random card generators. I was the proud owner of a set (a neat little thing to have) and the basic idea is this: when you find yourself in a creative rut, pick a card – any card – mull over its meaning and it helps you get out of the rut. Sounds too simple? Wait.
The genius starts like this; it doesn´t matter what the card says. The important step has already been taken. In recognizing that you are in trouble, you are already in the process of solving your problem. The cards are then mere prompts.
The genius continues like this; there are cards whose phrases will stick with you forever, because of the way they make you reflect on your personal creative process. Allow me to explain.
I am a natural worrier, self-doubter, second-guesser. I get carried away fixing all my little errors to the detriment of the bigger picture. The card I remember most is “Honour thy error as a hidden intention” and I have taken and given this advice throughout my entire adult life. With the help of this maxim I learned to put less stock on the small stuff. Better still, by owning and exploring my goofs I have learned about my weird self. To frame it for writing; say you have written a cliché character and you didn´t mean to. Have you considered making it super-cliché? What if you make it so cliché that it becomes genre-busting, looping full circle to become, ironically, original?
Even if you only take a few moments for the thought experiment, it’s a positive thing to do. It is said that you – as a creative – have a duty to plumb your inner depths and if you accidentally pop out a Mills & Boon character, then you need to recognize there is a little Mills & Boon in you. Then you can find a way to live with that fact.
Other cards that stick out for me have been:
- “Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate”
- “How would you have done it?”
- “Go outside, shut the door”
Did any of those speak your inner voice? The deck has over 100 cards, and chances are there is a phrase or particular combination of words that your brain has been waiting for. You can flick through random cards here: Oblique Strategies
I hope this advice will be useful for some of you.
For bonus imaginary internet fun points; If you reply to this thread with “GUESS” then an oblique strategy, I´ll try to guess if you made it up or if it’s from the deck!
There exists a set of cards called “oblique strategies” that were created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt back in the 70’s to promote creativity and lateral thinking for artists and producers. The wiki page explains the concept very concisely if you’re unfamiliar with it: Oblique Strategies - Wikipedia
You can still buy them or there are websites with random card generators. I was the proud owner of a set (a neat little thing to have) and the basic idea is this: when you find yourself in a creative rut, pick a card – any card – mull over its meaning and it helps you get out of the rut. Sounds too simple? Wait.
The genius starts like this; it doesn´t matter what the card says. The important step has already been taken. In recognizing that you are in trouble, you are already in the process of solving your problem. The cards are then mere prompts.
The genius continues like this; there are cards whose phrases will stick with you forever, because of the way they make you reflect on your personal creative process. Allow me to explain.
I am a natural worrier, self-doubter, second-guesser. I get carried away fixing all my little errors to the detriment of the bigger picture. The card I remember most is “Honour thy error as a hidden intention” and I have taken and given this advice throughout my entire adult life. With the help of this maxim I learned to put less stock on the small stuff. Better still, by owning and exploring my goofs I have learned about my weird self. To frame it for writing; say you have written a cliché character and you didn´t mean to. Have you considered making it super-cliché? What if you make it so cliché that it becomes genre-busting, looping full circle to become, ironically, original?
Even if you only take a few moments for the thought experiment, it’s a positive thing to do. It is said that you – as a creative – have a duty to plumb your inner depths and if you accidentally pop out a Mills & Boon character, then you need to recognize there is a little Mills & Boon in you. Then you can find a way to live with that fact.
Other cards that stick out for me have been:
- “Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate”
- “How would you have done it?”
- “Go outside, shut the door”
Did any of those speak your inner voice? The deck has over 100 cards, and chances are there is a phrase or particular combination of words that your brain has been waiting for. You can flick through random cards here: Oblique Strategies
I hope this advice will be useful for some of you.
For bonus imaginary internet fun points; If you reply to this thread with “GUESS” then an oblique strategy, I´ll try to guess if you made it up or if it’s from the deck!