Oblique Strategies: Brian Eno’s Prompts for Overcoming Creative Block

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/22/brian-eno-visual-music-oblique-strategies/

by mbubb • 11 years ago

37 13 11 years ago

mbubb3• 11 years ago

It seems a mistake to see these as tarot cards or the I Ching, etc. They are a way to short circuit paralysis due to over-thinking.

I wrote a little Python script to return a random one to stdout... too trivial to even post.

I like the reference to Bowie's "Heros" album in particular the song "Sense of Doubt" which is a great instrumental. I love that album and that song.

These are useful little aphorisms for when you are stuck. This article has a little background.

peter_l_downs2• 11 years ago

I'd love to use that Python script, mind pasting it up somewhere?

mbubb3• 11 years ago

https://gist.github.com/mbubb/57f7911725dc9688bba5

wpietri• 11 years ago

Huh. I think a big point of things like tarot cards and the I Ching is exactly to short-circuit rational processes and let people come up with answers intuitively.

tbrownaw• 11 years ago

I wrote a little Python script to return a random one to stdout... too trivial to even post.

If you're not on Windows, you may be interested in the 'fortune' and 'strfile' commands.

molloy• 11 years ago

+1 to this. You can modify fortune's output as you see fit, and also do fun things like fortune | cowthink -s

wstepp2• 11 years ago

Eno, Bowie, et al also used it during the sessions for Low and Radiohead used it during the sessions for Kid A/Amnesiac. Its also related tangentially to Burroughs cut-up technique. Sources are the 33 1/3 book series on Low and Wikipedia, though I don't have links handy.

Really interesting to me. I like its paradoxical practicality. I'm sure it could be used for many different kinds of creative endeavors. Perhaps even software.

peteretep2• 11 years ago

I use them for software. Generally they are a prompt for a five minute time-boxed stream of consciousness writing session about the problem I am trying to solve.

theoh• 11 years ago

The Oblique Strategies cards get a mention in this cartoon about Bowie and Eno recording Low:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FODvjYoVEi8

wstepp2• 11 years ago

I love the fact that cartoon exists.

Oblique Strategies: Brian Eno’s Prompts for Overcoming Creative Block

Related Stories