Oblique Strategies
For when a nudge is needed. (The Bus 6.21)
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED (2.4) 13 OCTOBER 2022
The Stop
Originally released in 1975, Oblique Strategies (Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas) was a set of cards created by the composer and avant-garde musician Brian Eno and the multimedia artist Peter Schmidt. Designed to either ‘solve or destroy a work situation,’ each card is printed with a different and often abstract instruction, remark or aphorism for the purpose of breaking creative blocks by challenging the user to employ lateral thinking. Though originally designed for musicians (and a few are specific to music), Oblique Strategies can also be used effectively by writers and visual artists who find themselves stuck in a deadlock or similar situation.1
Schmidt and Eno2 met in the late 1960s and soon developed a friendship and working relationship. The two were involved in a number of projects, with Schmidt producing various album covers and prints for Eno including Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (1974), Evening Star (1975) and Before and After Science (1977). While working together, Eno claims he and Schmidt discovered they had created ‘almost identical Oblique Strategy systems, at the same time and using almost exactly the same words, but completely independently of each other.’ They decided the ‘synchronicity’ of this discovery was too important not to make the tool available to other artists, and though Schmidt died in 1980, the cards have been published in several languages and in 2001 the Fifth Edition was released.
Centred around aphorisms such as ‘honour thy error as a hidden intention,’ ‘trust in the you of now,’ ‘do nothing for as long as possible,’ and ‘define an area as ‘safe’ and use it as an anchor,’ the strategies evolved from when Eno found himself in a ‘number of working situations when panic, particularly in studios, tended to make [him] forget that there were other ways of working.’ He decided to approach problems in ways that were ‘tangential’ rather than always direct and head-on, and therefore chose to set no rules as to how the cards should be used - they can be employed as a pack, or a single card can be drawn from the shuffled pack when a creative dilemma occurs. The only requirement is that the card - even if the appropriateness of the phrase is unclear - must be trusted. Both Eno and Schmidt understood that art was a process, and hoped the cards would ‘encourage artists to continue down [the] perilous path’ of creativity so that they might ‘recover their sense of control.’
The best way to experience Oblique Strategies is to use them and, until recently, the limited print editions meant they were difficult to attain. However, interest in the cards outside of the music industry has grown and they can be found both as an app (Oblique Strategies SE) or online at www.oblique-strategies.com - just refresh the page for another card.3
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to a video (7:20) who’s title says it all: 20 Mechanical Principles Combined in a Useless Lego Machine. From Schmidt coupling and a chain drive to a torque limiter and offset gears, each is clearly demonstrated and all are combined to do … well, nothing, really. But it’s very cool. Check it out.
20 Mechanical Principles Combined in a Useless Lego Machine
The Recommendation
Today’s recommendation is the film Being John Malkovich (1999). Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman,4 the story nominally centres around the character of Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), an unemployed puppeteer who takes a job as file clerk in a very odd office in an otherwise normal building. One day while filing, he discovers a small hidden door which leads to a tunnel. Crawling inside, Craig finds himself in the mind of the actor John Malkovich which he inhabits for 15 minutes before being ejected onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Yes, it’s a bizarre, surreal and trippy story - never more so than when Malkovich enters his own mind - that needs to be watched for the plot to make sense, but it’s certainly a worthwhile endeavour - and Kaufman’s screenplay (nominated for an Oscar) is brilliant. Talk about lateral thinking ….
Being John Malkovich (Official Trailer)
Being John Malkovich is available on various streaming services.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is a selection of five tracks either by Brian Eno - or ones on which he worked: ‘Once in a Lifetime’ (Talking Heads, 1980), ‘Lay My Love’ (Brian Eno and John Cale, 1990), ‘The Puppet Motel’ (Laurie Anderson, 1995), ‘The Heart’s Filthy Lesson’ (David Bowie, 1995) and ‘Tension Block’ (Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, 1988). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is one of my favourite Oblique Strategies:
‘Faced with a choice, do both.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next stop …
Sources for today’s Stop include: Brian Eno/Oblique Strategies, Oblique Strategies, Oblique Strategies and Oblique Strategies (Guardian).
For more information about these two, see: Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno (Britannica).
It’s bizarre how well they can work - I’ve introduced them to a few of my more creative students and have used them myself when I found I was stuck on a project. If anything, even if they don’t work directly, the idea of being forced to look at a situation differently - perhaps even humorously - can have profound effects.
Being John Malkovich was Jonze and Kaufmann’s first feature film together. For more information, see: Spike Jonze (Britannica) and Charlie Kaufmann (Britannica).