It wasn't until recently that I learned about Oblique Strategies, but artists in the know have been using Brian Eno's and painter Peter Schmids's invention since 1975.
Oblique Strategies is a pack of cards containing, as the title suggests, a series of "oblique" dilemmas. Each card contains a unique creative strategy that most artists would never come up with on their own.
So when you find yourself stuck, bored, or continually reaching for comfortable spots on the fretboard, canvas, or whatever medium you use, you can draw a card and put an oblique strategy to use.
The strategies are slightly more sophisticated takes on the messages you might find inside a fortune cookie or in one of those ubiquitous magic 8 balls we had as kids:
Oblique Strategies, then, are intended to act as a quiet voice that encourages you to take risks and look awry when your instinct tells you to do the opposite. Although you can still purchase hard copies of the set, they're not cheap. The good news is that you can access a free, online-version of Oblique Strategies here. You can also find a mobile-device version of the 3rd edition (from 1979) by clicking here.
Oblique Strategies is a pack of cards containing, as the title suggests, a series of "oblique" dilemmas. Each card contains a unique creative strategy that most artists would never come up with on their own.
So when you find yourself stuck, bored, or continually reaching for comfortable spots on the fretboard, canvas, or whatever medium you use, you can draw a card and put an oblique strategy to use.
The strategies are slightly more sophisticated takes on the messages you might find inside a fortune cookie or in one of those ubiquitous magic 8 balls we had as kids:
- "Is it really a mistake?"
- "Faced with one choice, do both"
- "Make what's perfect more human"
- "Honor thy error as a hidden intention"
- "Work at a different speed"
Oblique Strategies, then, are intended to act as a quiet voice that encourages you to take risks and look awry when your instinct tells you to do the opposite. Although you can still purchase hard copies of the set, they're not cheap. The good news is that you can access a free, online-version of Oblique Strategies here. You can also find a mobile-device version of the 3rd edition (from 1979) by clicking here.