Invent The Backstory
There is a beach near our house we frequent regularly. This beach has a public dock that stretches out into the lake. Early this past summer we stumbled upon a curious sight. We arrived at the beach to find someone had placed two white patio chairs on the end of the dock. Ok, not outrageous, but definitely out of the ordinary.
Assuming they belonged to one of the families, we left them there. When we returned the following week, they were still sitting there basking in the sun. In fact, they stayed there all summer long. We visited last week and discovered the chairs were still there. Sure, they were slightly worn out, but we still sat down for a few moments to enjoy the crisp Fall afternoon.
These chairs became an odd point of fascination for us all summer long. One afternoon we even invented a simple brainstorming game called: Backstory. As the name implies, you start with an observation from your environment (e.g., random chairs on a dock) and then invent the backstory.
It is easiest when you can frame your curiosity as a question: “Where did these chairs come from?” or “Why are they here?” Once you have a good question, you simply take turns telling the backstory. Some examples:
Two tourists brought the chairs to the beach but then couldn’t bring them home on the plane, so they left them for other beachgoers.
A large yacht docked at the beach and left them there to create more room on the boat deck for sunbathers to stretch out.
An artist brought them to the dock to record a time-lapse performance piece called “Life on the Dock” (a la Andy Warhol’s “Sleep”).
With each new backstory the tales become more outlandish. When you really get going, you build on each other’s contributions (classic “yes, and...” behaviour) – and the laughter begins.
Sometimes we run through life on auto-pilot – too focused on surface assumptions. Next time you notice something unusual in your environment, or just need a light-hearted moment, try creating the backstory.
Inspiration
