LOAF

(AND INVITE YOUR SOUL)

_2017

You ever stare at a blank page and think, “ugh, what now?”

Ever want to create something, but all you can think of is what feels like a weak collage of stolen bits from other people?

“The desire to be original is a form of self-censorship.”

— a tweet i wrote once

Across various dayjobs in the marketing communications industrial complex, I’ve made good use of strategic frameworks: analytical tools that easily capture multiple inputs, synthesise them in compelling new ways, and create business-friendly-sounding things like “actionable outputs” and “measurable outcomes”.

With this in mind, I had long wondered if there was a way to create a framework for generating ideas for a kind of experimental short film that resisted typical narrative structures, but still had the essence of a good story.

After a couple of iterations, I decided that the most basic, necessary components for that were: Location, Object, Action, Feeling (LOAF).

So I created a simple HTML-based tool (see below) that allows anyone to write lists for each of these headers, and then a button which pulls a random combination of 1 item per list.

With just 10 items in each list, the tool can generate 10,000 possible combinations! Augmented ideation! Artificial intelligence! The Singularity is upon us!

Beware though, these combinations can also often be a terrifying insight into one’s subconscious and soul.

I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loaf and invite my soul,

— Walt Whitman, The Song of Myself