I wrote a few weeks ago about how Amy Whitaker's appropriation of Hollywood's "major dramatic question" as a personal development strategy, and wanted to touch on another thoughtful exercise in her book Art Thinking. This conceptual framework was developed by consultant Alan Zakon at Boston Consulting Group in the 1970s as a tool to analyze … Continue reading On applying the BCG matrix to my personal life
Tag: Amy Whitaker
On the Major Dramatic Question and Richard Feynman’s 12 problems
One idea I really liked in Amy Whitaker's book Art Thinking was a concept borrowed from Hollywood screenwriters—the "MDQ," or Major Dramatic Question. The MDQ is the engine that drives the plot of a narrative forward, broadening the stakes, extending the specific to the universal. Whitaker suggests that people can have their own MDQs—which she … Continue reading On the Major Dramatic Question and Richard Feynman’s 12 problems
On 7 things from last week (2/27/23)
Art Thinking by Amy Whitaker is an interesting read about how to add more "art thinking" to our lives. Deserves a closer read in the coming week. I've sensed it—the breakdown of my once vital social network, and considered it a byproduct of marriage and kids. I hadn't also considered that it might be I'm … Continue reading On 7 things from last week (2/27/23)
On good noticing and doing more than getting through the day
It's been a rough back half of the week for my household. Our toddler has been sick and fussy, toggling between weepy desperation at his illness and sloppy mania when he's felt just marginally better. (Falling down several stairs being one side effect of such sloppiness.) Time has narrowed to a tunnel, and these long … Continue reading On good noticing and doing more than getting through the day
Taylor Coe 