STRATSCRAPS_v202
Pitch simple. Execute absurd.
Screenshot heavy this week. But a few original thoughts here and there to prove to myself I’m not a total hack.
(scroll to read) obligatory disclaimer: these newsletters are not really edited for typos or clarity. this is a place where I offload thoughts, in the hope they are valuable or interesting to others. typos and less than clear writing are a reflection of the function of this newsletter, not my ability to write. I can assure you I edit my work when I am being paid for it.////
Every now and then I catch myself doing the things I am constantly warning against. It’s easy to follow a process when you are there from the very beginning, but when you are brought into something already in the works, it is easy to slip into sharing work that shows you are up to speed rather than the relentless focus on clarity that strategy should always prioritize.
So a reminder to myself, but also to you… Always start with;
The purpose of this work is ______.
To achieve that, we will ________.
My role in the process is _________.
And it will be successful if _______.
Write it out. By hand if possible.
Think in terms of knowledge, clarity and decisions rather than deliverables. What decisions need to be made? What are the implications of each.
The challenge is more than likely you will not share any of the above with anyone. it is for you. But it will be a primary source for putting together the “narrative” that we are all so fond of.
And for every deck, meeting, brainstorm, doc, etc, ask of yourself or the team “why are we doing this? How does this push us towards the end goal?” (just you know, ask it nicely or propose the answer and see if anyone disagrees).
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btw, the dept of defense/Pete Hegseth spent $6.9 million dollars on lobster tail in a single month (source)
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This is also pretty much the ideal creative process.
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An argument for framing briefs as questions.
I can argue the other side. A brief is what we’re doing and creative is “how” – but I have seen enough evidence from other fields and smart people that suggest there is something to the question approach.
“your work shouldn’t try to solve the problem, it should present the problem” - Bill Hader on comedy
Where does that fall between the two? Because honestly I just want to do whatever Bill Hader does.
Also, the sentence “life is largely plotless” is great.
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I said I was working on some things as I learn to use claude code better.
The first thing I built is based on the WRKFLW PDF I shared, but a bit more interactive.
It is essentially a prompt generator. But a very long prompt that triggers the llm to start asking you a set of questions you should have answers to and then provides new information the build out a POV. (category audit, tensions, etc)
The catch is it requires you to use an LLM (and is built specifically for claude) I’m still trying to build a version of it that doesn’t require AI, but havent had the time to think that out much.
I also rebuilt my scrap_shuffler.
And an 8 page zine generator for making tiny zines out of a single piece of paper.
And finally started putting some of my collage work up on a website.
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Worth a listen: Jurassic Park Theme but 1000x slower
WEEKLY MONSTERS
Kiddo and I hid paper apples around the house. I guess at school they have hidden “creepy carrots” (which is awesome), so we duplicated it at home.
