What Makes a Good Story?

To fulfill my idea of what is "good," a story needs more than just the bare essentials.

There are the straightforward elements on a surface level: A rich setting, a compelling plot, some sort of conflict, and so on and so forth.

In a REALLY good story, however, I look for an element of subversion The inclusion of expectation-defying mechanisms or themes is completely essential to captivating an audience with a good story (in my opinion). These could be really subtle, near-imperceptible choices or loud, melodramatic expressions. It could be an event within the story itself like a "twist," a particular style that has some novelty about it, or it could just be something unique in the way that the story is expressed or presented. Sometimes, all it takes is for something to be of exceptionally high quality to subvert expectations.

Whether its a magic trick, a paperback novel, or a business pitch, surprising or subverting the expectations of the audience provides inherent value. It's entertaining and can make stories and messages especially memorable. I think this idea of subversion drives right to the core purpose of storytelling: to allow the audience to absorb information and experience emotions.

Of course, there's space for the same wrote narratives and rehashed comfort-stories for those that want it, and in reality, there's nothing "new" under the sun. In fact, subverting expectations remains a very difficult task - audiences are exposed to more story-driven content than ever. I think its the difficulty and achievement of subverting expectations that draws me to this idea of subversion.

But... subverting expectations is only possible because those expectations exist in the first place. It's the presence of those classic, essential storytelling elements that creates the "framework of expectations" that a good story can subvert.

On Evaluation

I quite enjoy the evaluation step, where key metrics are observed, and projects either make or break. In the spirit of iterative design philosophy, I think that in some ways, the project doesn’t even truly begin until there are evaluation statistics to consider and a new iteration is in the headlights.

Now that we’re on the tail end of the creative problem solving process as defined by this curriculum, I’m struck by how several of the steps along the way can have a recursive quality - for each step, you can apply the entire process! For this step, coming up with an effective criteria requires ideation, selection, implementation, and then you have to evaluate how effective your criteria were as this chapter itself has described.

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Also, for those that disagree with my comments on the “iterate vs. masterpiece” discussion: First of all, I’m sorry that you have to be subjected to my rants on zoom - it’s not easy to convey potentially disagreeable points of view with such haste. Second, I think this subject is one of those things where you can turn the “iterate” dial up so high that it eventually goes all the way around and back to “Masterpiece.”

To continue to take the “David” example for instance... to us, it seems to be a complete masterpiece. It took 26 year old Michelangelo 2 years to carve out of a singular block of marble. Marble was so expensive at the time that it took the government’s special order to just get a block big enough for the commission... meaning, there was zero room for iteration - it was a job only a master could do.

However... to Michelangelo, David was only one in a series the dozens of enormous efforts in master works he created during his lifetime. To a student, impossible, but to him, It was just another iteration (an iteration of his process, not of a singular work). Masters come to the table having iterated and failed more times than an amateur has ever attempted.

This is all to say, that this discussion is one purely of perspective. If iterating is the only means to become a master, and masters are only iterating on their processes, is there even really such a thing as a masterpiece? Is it just a matter of scale? If you’re already comfortable with being a “fierce iterator” where you accept that no design is ever complete... is it so wrong to have the mindset of a master? Is there even a difference between a fierce iterator and a master?

Perhaps what I’m really describing and getting caught on here is the leap from design/pre-production into production/construction... this is a dichotomy that often crosses my mind as a software developer. Iterate a million times in design, so that when it comes time to CREATE the design, you can produce that masterpiece. In this example, the students are kind of designing and creating at the same time.

In the spirit of this chapter on “Evaluation,” the criteria for success makes such a difference here. I think that in a vacuum, the ceramic students trying to produce an arbitrarily “high quality” ceramic via constant iteration may create the most commercially viable, most structurally tested, most mass-appeal, most generically applicable ceramic... but it is not likely that they create the most provocative, most illustrious, most unique, most full-scale, most detailed, most emotional... etc. Those types of qualities arise from masterful vision, pre-meditation, and singular execution.

At the end of the day, this program is about divergent thinking. That means rejecting certain established truths - in my mind, that absolutely includes this curriculum. I don’t hesitate to find valid opposing points for platitudes like the “masterpiece vs iteration” ceramics thought experiment.

On Implementation

Implementation is my favorite step and where I personally can make the biggest contributions. Its that step that finally INTEGRATES design, business, and technology. 

Previsualization is an essential step, but it is only a means to an end, and that end is when those that can, do. It’s why skills like programming are so sought after by both employers and employees.

It’s easy to talk about the problem for hours and hours, but at a certain point, you have to start implementing to find out all the things that you didn’t know in the first place. Usually, there’s a LOT that you didn’t know. It’s only then, that you can start this entire process over, and use the result of your implementation in your next ideas.

On Ideation

Ideation is a concept which I have a love/hate relationship with. As I’ve covered previously, I feel that my strong instinct for inspiration sometimes supersedes my desire to “brainstorm,” proper. 

In programming, after conceptualizing different possibilities, I dive right into whichever idea is the best fit. Once that first idea inevitably doesn’t work, that’s when its time to truly ideate. 

On Definition

Many of the topics covered in this chapter stuck out to me as techniques I use in my practice as a digital professional. In the world of code, everything is abstracted, so defining problems, boiling things down to the core, and emphasizing priorities can be essential to the success of the developer and especially a development team.

When interfacing with less-technical team members, techniques such as Diagrams, Sketches, Analogies, and Terminology Simplification are absolute musts. I also find these methods useful in creative endeavors, where there is often no better way to describe a composition or technique without a visual aid of some sort. 

Turning thoughts into words is also a trusted addition to my toolbelt. I’m the kind of person that can synthesize a large sum of ideas quickly, which has forced me to learn that it “don’t mean a thing” until you get it down on paper. Sometimes, you can find that you didn’t have such a great idea in the first place. Just as the chapter provided for, I often start with a “list of everything” or “mind-map” kind of setup, which I can then organize and prioritize. In software, there is often a “order of operations” that must be adhered to. In art, gathering reference is an essential step that informs the entire process.

I’m never afraid to “embrace the irrelevant,” as described. I’ve written here in the past about my own sensitivity and inspiration - I find that much of this comes from connecting dots between things that some might find “irrelevant.” However, its these connections that gives meanings to themes, applications, and styles.

On Analysis

My team leader once described me as “very good” at analysis - and he gave me that compliment at an unexpected time. It was during my own critique of my own professional behavior. He told me, the company can’t do the heavy lifting in that area, but that my analysis skills will allow me to improve where I was falling short.

This anecdote captures how I use my analysis skills in a wide variety of applications, including those that are not strictly data-driven or idea-driven. Because of this, the term “Sensitivity and Common Sense,” stuck out to me as a useful insight. I would describe myself as a somewhat sensitive person - sensitive in the classic emotional way, but also sensitive in terms of sensory perception. I believe this sensitivity of mine contributes to my ability to solve problems in creative spaces because I am able to be in touch with what I’m thinking and creating in an enhanced way. I am able to experience flashes of solutions in my head, when I can focus and channel that energy.

I have written in the past how art, programming, and geography are all alike in their “Micro and Macro” sensibilities - you have to be able to view the big picture as well as the small parts to make sensible contributions. In programming especially, I think you have to be comfy with pretty much all of the methods and techniques provided in this chapter. I use “Attribute Listing,” and “Look it up,” on a nearly constant basis - they are ingrained in the process of software development.

In my projects for this class, the “Idea Dump” has been a helpful and useful technique, because a picture says 1000 words, and in a video call, you’re lucky to get a few minutes to say them!

Analysis is an important part of my day to day life, and I think most would describe me as an analytical person. It’s one of my most valuable skills, and one that I enjoy implementing in my hobbies such as guitar and 3d printing.

On Acceptance

Acceptance is a subject that I regularly incorporate into my practice as a digital professional. 

At work, the “tickets” I work on each come along with a little bit of acceptance. When you, as a developer, have to set a ticket as “in progress,” you accept that you will perform the work and solve the problems as needed. Sometimes, this simple act is rather psychological and requires a Go-Getter Attitude! To do so full-heartedly, you obviously have to accept that it is in your Self-interest, as you’ll be accepting a paycheck at the end of the week. It takes some Self-Control, and you may even consider Giving it Up... and risk the consequences to your reputation or even career. I use my team’s stand-up meetings to verbalize my Statements of Acceptance, which I find helps me internalize the acceptance and commiserate with my comrades a little. I also do try to “buy-in” as much as I can in a Mission Impossible kind of way - I try to have as much fun as I can with my process, especially when working in problem spaces that are somewhat dry.

In my personal projects, I am forced to accept the goals I set for myself which are sometimes intimidating. The problem spaces I want to dive into are truly very complicated and multi-disciplinary... But, it is part of my goal-setting and my Personal Priorities to continue in the spaces I’m interested in. I do often find myself Method Acting and very literally researching my Role Models to visualize my Self-Actualization. I found it interesting that the reading categorized this activity as being empathetic - I had not thought of it that way.

And, wow! That is EVERY SINGLE acceptance keyword from the reading. This chapter has really shown me how much acceptance is part of my process, and how I’ve already been applying so many of these techniques naturally.

This is a graph displaying a spectrum of where I see my own skills intersecting with each other, as well as with near-future innovations. In the graph, I express a roundabout connection between the labels of "Style, Purpose, and Software," which itself I consider a personalized subset of "Design, Business, and Technology" After reading "The Five Forces," I can appreciate that so much of my focus is directly related to Mass Connectivity. I try to deeply accept that the future is heading in a virtual direction. Hopefully, that four-dimensional thinking will indeed lead to "opportunities for entrepreneurs in the near future." Read: Me!! My board also directly mentions the space flight industry in regards to data visualization and human interfaces. There's some good ol' fashioned Human Expansionism for ya!

Explore the board here:

https://app.mural.co/t/idsn540spring20213972/m/idsn540spring20213972/1644462565035/459dab92d02f22c911529ac4b88908602fb602f0?sender=u49bd8a3afa0797336c5f4019

On Inspiration

Inspiration is a precious thing. In my life, I've attempted to bolster and nurture my own drive for inspiration as much as possible. Frequently, I find myself “utterly moved,” in ways that seem to be scarcely enjoyed by others. Sometimes I'm so deeply affected by the media and experiences I absorb that I'm moved to tears; the mental images and emotions staying with me for weeks or years. Because of this, I try to curate my experiences and "front-load" situations that I know will pay off with some of that sweet inspiration, such as visiting museums. This may lead to a kind of "stinginess," in certain situations when I may "put my guard up," but I feel that certain activities can be extremely anti-inspirational, and so I avoid them.

In earnest, I feel like I've had a proclivity for inspiration since I was young - I was an empathetic, determined kid who was wildly inspired by animals, multimedia, performing, sports, and more. Many of these same subjects inspire me today, amongst the great volume of subjects and styles that are available for an independent adult to expose themselves to on a deep level. Even the nostalgia of this paragraph itself is involved in the inspiration equation... in a sort of "meta" way. Today, I'm inspired by great organizational achievements and historic works of art in a way that I never expected when I was younger, as well as subversive and "edgy" content that dares to defy consumptive norms.

This philosophy of drawing upon a lifetime of inspiration is integral in my creative problem solving process. In art, the work is considered a direct projection of the artist, and they themselves are a culmination of all the practice and knowledge they've accumulated. I extend this idea even to technical challenges and "boring" problems, drawing upon my past exposures and cumulative knowledge to invent, borrow, and apply solutions. I get lost in thought, taking the temperature of images, sounds, and outcomes that flash by in my head, working on finding that lovely "snap fit" feeling of inspiration. It's this spirit of practice that drives me to continue seeking and absorbing inspiration.

A list of 12 phases that I typically go through when solving a problem. I don’t see this as a strictly linear set of steps, so much as a list of different states that my process is in at any given time. 

Exploring Creativity

Here are some concepts from recent material that I feel are relevant to my own personal process:

Habitat/Environment:

I enjoy customizing my workshops and creative spaces. My daily “Work From Home” desk is set up exactly to my liking, and equipped with specialized, hand chosen electronics - as well as decorations. Friends and family often remark on how my workstation appears peculiar or advanced to them. I take this as a compliment, and a natural result of my drive to improve my own process.

Additionally, the second room of my apartment works for me as a bit of a garage/workshop. I have set up the space to be quite “FAST” and versatile; it works as a 3D printing workshop, a traditional paint studio, a bicycle workstation/storage, a small workout/yoga room, and a music rehearsal space.

Resources:

Tools are some of my favorite part of working. I enjoy buying tools, using tools, creating tools for others, and even fixing the tools themselves. My own dad taught me that, in tough situations “sometimes all you need is the right tool for the job.” I know that if/when I am starting my own business, providing the proper tools to the employees will be a priority - it’s a family tradition!

Negative Capability:

As a software developer, you are often required to work outside of your comfort zone, learn new things, and troubleshoot in situations that can be frustrating and dead-ended. For these reasons, I think that persistence and positive attitude are some of the two most useful qualities for a developer, and many other professions. Having the capability to “try” something that has the potential to fail has lead to some of my greatest victories and ALL of my skill-building.

Empathy:

I think empathy is an underrated component in problem solving and creativity. It is only through the eyes of others can you decide if your new ideas are feasible and desirable. Not only do you have to empathize with the people whose problem you are solving, you sometimes have to empathize with the people who are causing the problem. Sometimes you have to identify when they are the same person! In all cases, prioritizing empathy towards involved parties leads to better results.

That’s all for now. Looking forward to future units, posts, and interactions.

HMW