Oblique Strategies

This morning at the cafe, I noticed people at the table next to mine using cards with various aphorisms. Out of curiosity, I asked them what they were doing, and they told me they were writing a song using “Oblique Strategies.”

Oblique Strategies is a set of cards created by Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno for musicians and artists to use when in a creative block. The idea behind it, is when experiencing a creative rut, you pull a random card from the deck which has messages like:

• Use an old idea.
• State the problem in words as clearly as possible.
• Only one element of each kind.
• What would your closest friend do?
• What to increase? What to reduce?
• Are there sections? Consider transitions.
• Try faking it!
• Honour thy error as a hidden intention.
• Ask your body.
• Work at a different speed.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Brian Eno expands on the inspiration behind OS, “In the pressure situation, you tend to fall back on the old solutions. You don’t want to take the risk of going down a road that doesn’t pay off at all. And then you get stuck, because you’re not excited. OS is about breaking mental habits”