Rudraprasad DasSkip the precision. Chase the momentum.
Why This Matters
The creative process is hard.
And sometimes, we get stuck. Not for lack of ideas, but because we’re trying too hard to get it right.
We open ChatGPT, phrase the perfect prompt, hit enter hoping for brilliance… And what comes back is fine.
Not bad. Not wow. Just… fine. It checks the boxes but lacks soul.
The problem isn’t the AI. It’s how we’re using it.
Most of us treat it like a vending machine: one prompt, one output, move on. But that’s a narrow way to work, and it’s rarely how good ideas emerge.
Clarity doesn’t always come before action. More often, clarity emerges from motion.
From generating, scanning, comparing, refining.
So instead of waiting for the perfect idea → perfect plan → perfect execution...
What if you just moved?
How to Use It
This strategy isn’t about being careless. It’s about being deliberate at speed.
You’re harnessing AI not for the final answer, but to surface options, patterns, and possibilities you couldn’t reach alone.
Let’s say you’re:
- Brainstorming a new product
- Writing copy or naming something
- Designing workflows or strategy
→ Don’t just ask “What’s a good idea for X?”
→ Fire off 10 variations: “What if X ran without internet? How would X work in a hospital? What’s the worst version of X? …”
→ Scan for patterns. Spot what repeats. Then double down.
→ Go wide: poetic, punchy, sci-fi, technical, absurd.
→ Don’t wait for the one. Let contrast reveal the best idea.
→ Assign different personas to your prompts:
“As a CTO, how would you streamline this?”
“As a user, where would you get stuck?”
“As an AI agent, what would you automate first?”
Each variation is a lens. A potential step in the right direction.
And the beauty? AI doesn’t get tired. It doesn’t hesitate. It just moves.
So you can move faster than your own doubts.
Enter: The Shotgun Strategy
This isn’t a productivity hack. It’s a mindset shift.
A reframe for how you use AI, and how you navigate the uncertainty of making anything new at all.
At its core, it’s simple:
Fire off multiple, diverse, semi-targeted prompts in quick succession. Scan for signals. Double down on what sparks.
When used right, it breaks you out of inertia, reveals unexpected directions, and sparks what a single perfect prompt never could.
I call it The Shotgun Strategy.
It let’s you build with intent. Explore with velocity. And let’s clarity lead the way.
Because sometimes, the way forward isn’t a straight line.
It’s a scatter.
And the goal isn’t precision.
It’s momentum.
Your First Shotgun Session
Gain momentum. In 5 deliberate minutes.
- Pick an idea
- Fire Many Rounds
- Observe for Signals
- Double down
- Iterate and validate for resonance
It can be anything, and it doesn’t need to be complete. A first draft. A foggy idea.
The important thing is to clarify your broad intention or thematic focus.
Examples:
"Express the ethos of The Ingenuity Co" "Visualize potential brand identities for my cosmic washing machine startup" “Explore alternative agentic workflows to automate customer success”
Rapidly execute multiple varied AI interactions across diverse angles, tones, tasks, and behavioral scenarios.
Examples:
“Draft poetic taglines about innovation, categorized by audience type.” “Suggest multiple high-level market-entry strategies for my cosmic bicycle company.” “What would be the easiest way to implement the Customer Success workflow. Also, consider budget constraints.”
Don’t limit yourself to one tool. Use ChatGPT, Claude for ideation, implementation. Midjourney, DALL-E for visuals. Perplexity, Gemini for research.
Skim, don’t judge. Scan for signals, like emotional reactions, ease of implementation, or clear strategic fit. Identify the outcomes you’d readily share, act upon, or expand.
What made you raise an eyebrow? What felt oddly alive? What made you say, “Wait… that’s something”?
Group them in whatever way feels natural. By tone, by purpose, or by who it’s meant for.
Example:
Say you asked for taglines and got:
“Invent what the future remembers” “Modular AI. Cosmic clarity.” “Because the edge is where things come alive”
You could group them by tone:
Emotional → “Invent what the future remembers” Technical → “Modular AI. Cosmic clarity.” Aspirational → “Because the edge is where…”
Pick the group that feels most alive, and go again. Ask the AI to expand, remix, or go deeper in that style.
Take the ideas that stood out and build on them. Don’t overthink. Just run another quick batch.
Test these evolved concepts internally, with peers, stakeholders, or small audience segments. Gather feedback quickly to measure emotional, practical, or operational resonance.
Once done, you’ll see things more clearly than when you began. Not because you waited for the right idea, but because you gave yourself permission to move.
That’s what the Shotgun Strategy is really about.
When to Use It
The Shotgun Strategy isn’t something you use all the time.
It’s a mode you enter, especially when clarity is low, pressure is high, or you're wandering in the fog.
Use it when you need motion more than mastery.
- Blank Starts
- Too Many Paths
- Stalled Midway
- Time Crunch
- Unfamiliar Ground
You’re staring at a blank page. The cursor’s blinking. Fire prompts like flares. Anything is better than nothing.
You’ve got five directions, none of them obvious. Don’t pick. Prompt them all. See which one bites back.
Half-done draft. Stalled strategy. UI flow that lost its soul. Step sideways. Prompt from another role. Break your own pattern.
You don’t have time to perfect. Good! That’s when this shines. Fire fast. Skim for signal. Let the sharpest idea reveal itself by contrast.
New market. New tone. New you. You don’t need a plan. You need exposure. Fire wide and let resonance lead the way.
Common Pitfalls
Even momentum has traps. Watch for these:
- Shotgun isn’t spray-and-pray. If you don’t pause to notice what hits, you’re just making noise. Skim. Feel. Lookout for signals.
- More prompts ≠ more insight. What matters isn’t how much you generate. It’s what stands out.
- Polishing too early kills the current. Don’t fix grammar mid-flow. This is not the time to be client-ready. This is the time to move.
- Skip the weird stuff, and you miss the point. If something feels strange, off, or a little too wild. That’s good. That’s often the way ahead.
In Summary
When momentum stalls, don’t pause. Just Move.
Fire wide → Scan fast → Follow what glows
You don’t get clarity by waiting. You earn it by moving.
This is the heart of The Shotgun Strategy.
Crafted by The Ingenuity Co, for those bold enough to make reality bend.
And we’re just getting started.
Next Move: The Sniper Strategy
Shotgun helps you move.
But movement alone isn’t enough. At some point, the chaos clears, and you have to choose.
What to keep. What to cut. Where to aim next.
That’s where Sniper comes in. It’s about slowing down, narrowing in, and hitting with intent.
We’re building a library of creative strategies for working with AI. Not just to get more done, but to create with clarity, momentum, and depth.
More coming. Stay tuned.