It's obvious that ... (Mapambo Adornments: Edition 2023:4)
In this edition: a curiosity led writing technique that somehow helps to bypass “logical” thought.
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Why Adornments? Just as the mapmakers of old used to add embellishments around the edges of their maps, I like to think of all the bits in this letter as adornments to life. This letter comes out occasionally on a Sunday, so keep an eye out for it in your Inbox. It is free to read. If you enjoy this, I’d really love to hear from you (either hit Reply or leave a comment below). If you read via the Substack app, you can also share, like or restack this - all are welcome and appreciated!
“What’s obvious about …” trying something different
and shared a letter called “World Crafting for Business” a while back. There were many beautiful suggestions in there that I have been thinking about ever since and I come back to their post time and time again when I need inspiration. But that’s not the point of this piece.
Near the bottom of their letter, was a suggestion for what to do when you cannot see anything clearly with regards to your business world. The suggestion was to simply ask “what’s obvious about the nothingness” and then drill down at each response. I was one of those who couldn’t (at that time) see anything about the world I wanted to create for my business. So I tried the technique.
And I have been using it ever since. Because I like to name things, I’m calling it the “What’s obvious about” prompt / technique for now. Kat and Erica, if you have any further insights as to where the idea originated, I’d love to know more.
My mind is blown by what comes out of this exercise. Every. Single. Time.
In the past 6 weeks, I’ve tried it when I’m wrestling with life issues or when I’m trying to make an important decision. I’ve used it to explore where my fiction writing needs to go next, or to discover what a certain character might do next. I used it to write this piece for example:
It never fails to amaze me that it always uncovers something and leads me down a path I had not thought of. It’s curiosity led I suppose and the repetitive nature of it gives it rhythm, but also, more importantly, somehow it helps to bypass “logical” thought.
A powerful example of how it unfolds
It’s obvious that these are what our hearts, mind and body need us to uncover at this point in time. These are what we need to be aware of in order to continue our life’s journey. Or to write the next part of our novel / series / thesis / life story.
Simply start by asking: “What’s obvious about [insert the issue / question / dilemma]”. Then write “It’s obvious that …” and see what flows out of your pen. Write without logical thought, without structure, without judgement. Write with curiosity, and see where it takes you.
Here’s an example of how it unfolds. I wrote this piece when trying to work out why it’s such a powerful exercise. This is exactly as I wrote it in my journal, word for word, no editing.
Look where it took me!
What’s obvious about the “it's obvious that …” prompt?
It’s obvious that this prompt has great potential for getting to the nub of an issue, when it’s not immediately obvious how to approach it.
What else is obvious?
It’s obvious that the process of repeatedly writing out the question and response allows thoughts and ideas to come, perhaps vague and undefined at first, but refining themselves as you keep repeating the structure and keep probing.
What’s obvious about the probing process?
It’s obvious that this structure seems to bypass the part of the brain that says “I already know all there is to know about this” and gives us an alternative route / pathway into not knowing, into a beginners mind of “maybe I don’t know everything - perhaps I can be more curious about this, dig deeper”.
What’s obvious about this alternate route?
It’s obvious that subconsciously choosing which word or phrase to focus on next, when framing the question, determines where the path goes. The path that arises is certainly not linear or pre-determined. It’s delightfully unexpected and circuitous.
What else is obvious about this path?
It’s obvious that by following each new pathway, we are following a new idea, something we’ve not considered before. Even if this leads nowhere at this time, we’ve explored it, for now.
What’s obvious about this exploration?
It’s obvious that it somehow reveals connections to other experiences, to other emotions and ideas, and that those connections seem random. But what we’re doing is letting our minds wander, haphazardly and playfully.
What’s obvious about this haphazard, playful approach?
It’s obvious that there is no end destination, no actual treasure to find, just an amazing explorative journey to experience.
What’s obvious about this explorative journey?
It’s obvious that through undertaking it, we uncover hidden nuggets of wisdom, snippets of new knowledge to learn about, delightful surprises and unexpected insights.
And what’s obvious about these?
It’s obvious that these are what our hearts, mind and body need us to uncover at this point in time. These are what we need to be aware of in order to continue our life’s journey. Or to write the next part of our novel / series / thesis / life story.
Have you ever tried a technique / exercise like this, that proves to be valuable and insightful, time and time again?
I am so grateful for finding this in Kat and Erica’s post. It is now a powerful item in my toolkit! Thank you both! Read their piece here:
You might’ve missed
Here are the most recent letters, posts and notes from this Mappery space, in case you missed any of them!
Curious Questers Road Trip mini series about the people, places and objects of The Drifting Expanse in 100 words: One, Two
An invitation to get involved with Collective Mappery
That’s is for my “adornments” this time. I’m not sure it there will be another edition out before the 25th of December. If not, let me wish you all, a perfectly peaceful festive season (if that’s not too contradictory!)
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I'm saving this. For some strange reason my brain is wired to shut out 'techniques' ... no idea, a rebellion against learning from my youth, that much is obvious! But I like the look of this and I want to try it. Thanks for sharing, Debs
Oh, I like this. I'm going to try it as a plot brainstorming device, I think.