From Concept to Detail: Zooming Between Strata in a Project

Story Paths

Book one-on-one story sessions here

Read this as an article, and share your thoughts here

Here’s a greate way to conceive stages of creative work. I learned this from a friend who used them in the hospitality industry, but they’re applicable in any project.

Consider three layers:

1) Big picture thinking.

2) Big muscle moving.

3) Detailing.

Let’s Say You’re Opening a Restaurant

The big picture involves choices of menu, location, audience.

The big muscle stage is finding a location, sourcing ingredients, getting equipment, and setting it all up.

In the detail stage we’d be arranging napkins into cups, evening out tablecloths, making sure the place smells good, and choosing appropriate music.

You might take a moment to let this alchemist inside you, considering a project that’s alive in your mind.

Ready?

Let’s put on our swim trunks and dive in to get a better look.

But as you’re getting those on, here’s a prompt. As we’re going through, I invite you to ask yourself which role do you tend toward.

Of course, in any of these personality assessments, none of us are purely one type or another. We may shift between these types at different stages of a project, or in different parts of our lives. The map is not the territory, and yet maps are helpful, and this one is cool.

So in we go.

Big Picture

Personally, I tend towards the big picture role, thinking about stories that we live by, spending time between stories, realizing that I'm in a story when I do that… this kind of thing. I was a monk for many years, delving into philosophy. My challenge is to bring these big thoughts into podcast, books, workshops, and into community. I need quite a bit of space and time to do this kind of thinking. That's a big part of my nature.

I get work done too, I promise!

How far out do we want to go? If it has been decided already that we're going to open a restaurant, we can consider the big questions that come up. But what if we haven't chosen to open a restaurant? In fact, we’re not sure what we’re going to do.

So first let’s fly higher. Maybe instead of a restaurant, we might open a cinema, or start an app that helps people make these decisions. Or an app that makes an app that helps people make these decisions!

In this big picture thinking we're considering which portal to open. After that, there will be many more choices.

In Praise of Procrastination

I want to take a moment to honour this stage of deciding. In an overculture where many seem more concerned with getting things done than deciding what work is worth doing, I pledge support for consideration, for time given to thought.

It's not lazy. It's not avoiding work. It is the best investment.

While we’re at it, we can take it further. Instead of wondering which project to start, as though it’s a given that we’ll start one, we might ask ourselves, should I start a project? Or shall I become a meditator and become detached from these ambitions of starting projects and making money? Should I learn to be satisfied being an observer, watching this world. My contribution may be in sharing what wisdom glean during this slow time of being present with what is.

I might fly further out still, conceiving of myself very simply as a conscious being who can act. Further still, and depending on my cosmology, I might consider myself to be one with the world, friends with one who is in the center of our galaxy and in all things, in kinship with the creator and all other beings in their essential state. An essential state that remains within us while we express ourselves in temporal manifestations in myriad ways, from wondrous to horrendous and everywhere in between.

Why stop there? I may let go of duality and even spectrums with dual ends. I may let go of it all and simply be whatever being is.

Geez we’re high up! We’re out as far as I can think to go.

Coming in from here, I see a variety of possible worldviews, so= I'll pick a worldview and enter it. I'll meet other beings, discover opportunities, and decide which portals to enter within my incarnated life.

Alright, I’ll take this one on, this particular commitment with these particular people. That feels right.

I'll begin that work. I’ll enter into the next layer.

To be continued in part two of two….

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe