XYZ System: Brainstorming not brainfarting

Your story has begun, you’ve seeded your brainstorming with various points of view (‘As a’) Now it’s time to develop the story by brainstorming.

Where to start?
“A good point to begin with is the end”
let’s dive into that piece of philosophy.

What needs to happen for your story to become a reality?
What does the outcome look like?

You’ve heard about visionaries, they’re amazing right?
Well yes…and no, it’s not a super power just a process.
You can do it too.

Visualise what the end product of your story looks like.
In particular, what does the end result look like from the point of views (As a’s) of the users you identified at the beginning of your story?

Still lacking inspiration? The Well a little dry?

The next thing to turn on is your inspiration, this vision that you’re forming.
You’ve got the small sparks, the merest description of needs in the form of a few solid ‘As a’ statements from the main characters in your story.
So get in their shoes, and think big. Bigger than you need. So back to our example using Project birdbath.

Here’s my vision…

Brainstorming for Project Birdbath.

I love waterfalls, also this would be a great double feature, i.e. Running water noise in the garden.
Fallingwater, house by Frank Lloyd Wright, the worlds most beautiful building?

I have these decorative blocks left over from the garden I want to use up.
They are a sandy colour, not unlike the sand colour in Fallingwater.

I can’t help but see a Desert / Aztec / Specifically Crystal Maze Aztec zone scene (from the 1990’s Channel 4 UK gameshow)

As a bird…Well the sizes of the birds varies, some need deeper water than others.
A slope on the bottom would make a different depths. lets make it 30mm at the shallow end and then going a bit deeper.

I can see a suitable location in the garden.
Personally I like to sketch the end result.

I’m no expert in sketching, but repeating anything as a system makes you better.
I only need enough sketching ability to develop my vision.

Ok, my vision is becoming more tangible. If you don’t want to sketch that’s ok, at least make a list of keywords from your vision.

Thinking…

If you’ve having heart palpitations or feeling overwhelmed at this point then don’t panic, just like sketching, thinking is something that you learn to do by repeating it.
So just try.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what Fallingwater is, what’s YOUR vision.

What’s in your life that means something?

Not something that distracts you like a triple stack XL burger, beer or reality TV.
Just go somewhere in your head that you truly feel means something to you.
Not driven by guilt, love for your kids, not driven by a sense of duty, not driven at all. Someone once told me that the key to your head is thinking with your heart. Tony Robbins I think! Cheers Tony ?

Just your thing, what is it? Maybe you’re even embarrassed to think about it, that’s the good stuff.

Again, deep breaths this is a process.
A slow one. Slow is steady and steady is fast.

You don’t have to reveal your deepest darkest secrets for your vision for a utopian or dystopian future just yet.
Just try get in touch with the something that makes your feel.

Then, put a little sprinkle of that into your vision.

Now that you’re there.

Re-read the ‘As a’ statements and see what thoughts are produced, now seeded with purity, unload thoughts on paper.

Observe them ‘As a’ 3rd party who’s job it is to produce an end result, don’t edit them, just…eh… ejaculate them.

Great takes time, if you want instant, then buy noodles.

Start small, great projects evolve, great people evolve.
If this strikes a chord with you, then welcome to the XYZ System.
If it’s not, it’s probably me. My challenge is communication of the methadology of the XYZ System to you, that’s only going to get better I’m not there yet.

List your inspirations, draw your sketches, gather up your bricks. Just try.

1. You will develop the ability to say stupid / embarrassing / preposterous things and be ok with it, the thing that someone is afraid to say / suggest may be the key that unlocks greatness.
2. You can develop the reflex of not caring what your peers think,
   you might be the same as them right now….hiding in professionalism,
   totally afraid of self expression, just waiting to tick a box and get your positive feedback. The upside of not needing a pat on the back is that you also won’t need a kick in the ass.

You don’t need a motivator.
Just keep rereading the main point of your story and remember always… The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.