Attribute Listing is a creative-thinking technique designed to improve products and services. In a previous post I noted that a Tarot reading is not only an exercise in creative thinking, but that some creativity techniques often form part of a Tarot reading. Attribute Listing is another such technique: whenever a reader chooses or designs a spread, she (or he) is using Attribute Listing. But this is not all: Tarot cards can also be used for modified versions of Attribute Listing. You will find some below.
Attribute Listing was developed by Robert Crawford in the early 1930s. It involves listing the attributes (identifying characteristics) of an object, a service, or a situation, then systematically examining each one to see if it can be modified or improved.
Suppose you want to improve the design of a pen. First you would list the attributes of the pen—the material it is made of (plastic, stainless steel, gold), its shape (tube), colour, length, weight, parts (outer casing, inner tube holding ink, nib, ink). You could look at its ease of use, price, durability, and so on. The next step is to take each attribute and think of ways to modify it.
A writer might list the attributes of a novel-in-progress: plot, characters, locations, themes, conflict, resolution of conflict. Some of these can be broken down further: the attributes of a character, for example, will include personality characteristics, appearance, motivations, background, health, occupation, marital status, opinions, and age.
A situation also has attributes: the cause(s), influences at play, the role of the various people involved, challenges and obstacles to overcome, urgency, emotions and thoughts that influence the situation, location, consequences, desirable and possible outcomes are some of the attributes. Change one of these and the situation changes.
Some creativity teachers have modified the basic aspects of Attribute Listing. “Attribute Analogy Chains,” for example, is a combination of attribute listing and analogies. Once the object or problem has been divided into its various attributes, instead of modifying the attributes, you make analogies for each of them. A pen’s shape, for instance, can be likened to that of a snake, a garden hose, or a straw. The analogies are then used as stimuli for ideas. This variation was described by Dan Koberg and Jim Bagnall in The universal traveler (W. Kaufmann, revised edition, 1974).
“Attribute Association Chains” was developed by Arthur VanGundy (see his Techniques of structured problem solving, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1988). His variation involves free association: once the attributes and their sub-attributes have been listed, you focus on one of the sub-attributes and write down the first word you think of. This word serves as stimulus for the next one, until you have about four of five associations for the attribute. These free associations are used as stimuli for ideas.
Tarot variations
Tarot cards can be used both for generating ideas and for exploring a situation; however, they are not as effective for problems that revolve around product or service design, as is the pure form of Attribute Listing. The examples below describes two types of problems: one that needs brainstorming (ideas for a birthday present), the other an exploration of a situation (the causes of lost motivation).
Design a spread
A Tarot reading explores a situation from various angles: causes, obstacles, influences, and people involved. In other words, a Tarot reading considers the attributes of a situation. Whenever you design a spread to investigate a problem, you are listing attributes. Each card position represents an aspect or an attribute of the problem. The solution to the problem often lies in modifying one or more of these attributes.
Traditional Tarot spreads such as the Celtic Cross or the Horseshoe cover general aspects. They may be all you need, but if not, you can create your own spread. The first step is to list the aspects of the problem or situation that you want to explore, then to assign one or more card positions to each aspect. The card positions can be arranged in a pattern that makes sense to you, or the cards can be laid out in a row.
One of the spreads I designed considered the following attributes of a problem:
- Past (causes)
- Present (effects)
- What is helpful (influences)
- What would happen if I do nothing (consequences)
- Advice (possibilities)
The Celtic Cross also considers challenges to overcome, future influences, your own role in the situation, the effect of your environment, and the role of your emotions.
Free association
Attribute Listing does not translate directly to Tarot cards, but the technique can be used as basis for Tarot variations. The first variation uses the attributes of the cards, rather than those of a product or service.
Free association is one of the techniques discussed in a previous post. Basically, you ask yourself “What does this make me think of?” This variation on Attribute Listing uses free association as stimulus for ideas.
Write down your problem statement or question, then put it aside.
Drawing a card at random, make a list of symbols, objects, colours etc. that you see on the card.
Beginning with the first item on your list, note the associations the item brings to mind. Use these free associations as basis for idea generation.
Suppose you need some ideas for a birthday present for your mother, and you have drawn the Magician from the Rider-Waite deck. Your list of symbols might include magician, robe, red, yellow, roses, lilies, wand, ouroboros**, arbour, cup, sword, pentacle, the Roman numeral I. Starting with “magician,” you write down a few of your associations: magic, show, skill, sleight of hand, tricks. Each of these can serve as stimulus for free association.
____________
** That snake-thingy around his waist. The ouroboros—a snake or a dragon swallowing its tail—is a symbol of eternity and renewal, death and rebirth, Nature continuously renewing itself.
____________
- “Magic” might make you think of a box of Black Magic chocolates;
- “show” could lead to an appointment with a beautician for a makeover or a facial;
- “skill” could make you consider your mother’s skills or hobbies and what she could use to apply them.
Forced connections 1
The second variation involves forced connections rather than free association. Forced connections is another of the techniques discussed in a previous post. In short, forced connections asks you to make a connection or force a relationship between two ideas, concepts or objects. This variation on Attribute Listing uses forced connections rather than free association.
Write down your question or problem statement.
Draw two cards, then make a list of “attributes” for each (List A and List B).
Using the first item from each list, find at least one connection between the two items. The connections are the stimuli for ideas.
Depending on how much time you want to spend or how quickly you find a solution, you could pair items from the two lists, or combine each item from List A with each item from List B.
Let’s say you draw the Five of Pentacles and the Ace of Cups. The first items on each list is crutch and water lily. What connection could there be between the two? What about “hopping?” People hop on crutches, frogs hop onto water lilies.
“Hopping” could make you think of a gym membership, or a foot massage.
Still using “crutch” from the first list but moving down the second list, you find “cup.” What connection is there between a crutch and a cup? Wine. Some people use wine as a crutch. Maybe your mother-in-law likes a particular wine, or a liqueur?
Forced connections 2
The second “forced connections” variation is not so much a variation on Attribute Listing as a variation on the first “forced connections” technique. The connections you need to make are between the images on the two cards, or the interpretations associate with each of the two cards, rather than individual symbols. The images and interpretations comprise the “attributes.”
Using the same two cards as above, ask yourself, “How is the Five of Pentacles like the Ace of Cups?” or “What is the connection between the Five of Pentacles and the Ace of Cups?”
Examples:
church, Christianity (the window in the Five of Pentacles, the host in the Ace of Cups)
water (frozen in the Five of Pentacles, flowing in the Ace of Cups)
hands (beggars hold out their hands when begging, the hand holding the cup)
poverty/abundance (poverty in the Five of Pentacles, abundance implied in the Ace of Cups)
From these connections, gift ideas could include a donation to your mother’s favourite charity, a piece of jewellery with a spiritual theme, a water feature, an ice bucket, a friendship ring.
Combinations
Attributes can be combined, rather than used for free association or forced connections. Combinations can give rise to bizarre images, giving your imagination plenty of material to work with.
Write down your problem statement, then draw two cards.
As before, make two lists with items from each of the cards.
Taking the first item from both lists, combine them and use the combination as stimulus for ideas. Move down to the second item on both lists. You could also combine the first item from the first list with every item on the second list in turn, then move on to the second item on the first list, and so on.
For example: you draw the Nine of Swords and the Seven of Swords.
From the Nine of Swords you have "bed," from the Seven of swords, "swords." The two combined could make you think of an acupuncture session. The combination of “quilt” from the first list and “tent” from the second might suggest a cape or a porcelain clown.
Not all combinations will lead to anything useful, but the image created in your mind might spark an idea.
This problem is about …
The final variation is loosely related to Attribute Listing, but it works well with Tarot cards. In Attribute Listing, you list the identifying characteristics of a problem. In "This problem is about ..." you make a list of what the problem is about. An example will make things clearer.
Let’s say the problem statement is “Why am I so demotivated in working on my project?”
What is the problem about? You can start with the obvious “This problem is about productivity.” In thinking about what this problem or project means to you, you could also list time, creativity, income, and energy. Three to six items are ideal.
Now for each of these items—productivity, time, creativity, income, and energy—draw a card and place it in front of you. You can arrange the cards in a pattern, or not, as you prefer.
Let each card suggest one or more reasons for or solutions to the problem. You can brainstorm, let the images suggest ideas, or use the traditional meanings of the cards.
Suppose you drew these cards:
You might have the following thoughts:
Productivity (Queen of Swords, reversed) I let my mental energy run out without using it properly. Spent too much time composing pithy comments on Facebook.
Time (Queen of Pentacles, reversed) Sometimes I need to nurture myself rather than spend time worrying about the project. When I feel unable to work, maybe I should make time for exercise or relaxation.
Creativity (Trump XIV—Temperance) Creativity doesn’t “just happen.” I need to find a balance between working on the project and relaxing. Many of my most creative ideas came while I was taking a walk or relaxing with a glass of wine. Relaxing doesn’t mean I’m goofing off!
Income (King of Swords) This guy looks strict. He is reminding me that my income depends on the project being completed on time. Instead of worrying about it, I should martial my thoughts; I could spend half an hour outlining the next section and working out a schedule.
Energy (Eight of Wands, reversed) Scattered thoughts, too many irons in the fire. I think I need to clear some space to work in without the distractions of email, news updates ….
Three of the cards are court cards. Clearly, I’m standing in my own way. The Queens are about nurturing, which I need more of; the King is about order and mastery. I need to martial my thoughts.
Creativity is represented by a major arcana card. This is the one force I cannot control, I can only try to set the right climate to encourage creativity. A combination of planning, working on the project, eliminating distractions, and taking care of myself.
Energy is represented by a pip card. Perhaps this is the least of my worries. My energy will go up once I act on the other suggestions.
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Thank you for a really interesting article. I found the idea of forced interpretations really interesting. I understand it though because even during a normal reading, one may need to push deeper to find answers the Tarot wouldn't provide in its' most traditional sense.
Posted by: Online Tarot | 31 May 2014 at 08:23 PM