If your job requires you to create original material, you know that sometimes the blank page can be blinding. Or maybe you’re part way through a project and can’t find the best path to move forward. In 1975 musician Brian Eno and artist Peter Schmidt jointly compiled a list of prompts, suggestions, and aphorisms to help break the mental gridlock creators often experience and published them as a collection of cards called Oblique Strategies. The idea is that the musician or artist can randomly select a card at any time in order to encourage lateral thinking. Examples include:
Use an old idea.
State the problem in words as clearly as possible.
Are there sections? Consider transitions.
Work at a different speed.
The prompts are deliberately vague but can knock you out of your rut if used sparingly and deliberately. There have been many editions and it’s not hard to find used versions, but you can pick up the latest edition at the Eno Shop.