In Stage 3 of the series, Brett Stewart shifts the focus from words to visuals. While the first two stages build a sensory foundation, Stage 3 is where your “perceptual aperture” has widened enough to allow for diagrammatic data—basic, spontaneous sketches of the target site [02:19].
Sketching the Signal
The most important rule of Stage 3 is that you are not creating art; you are creating diagrams. You aren’t looking for shading or fine details, but rather the basic shapes, orientations, and relationships between elements at the site [01:06].
Brett explains that these sketches should be spontaneous. If you find yourself stuck, you can look back at the dimension data from Stage 2 to give yourself a “nudge,” but the goal is to let your hand move automatically [01:55]. A key tip for maintaining accuracy is the 30-60 second rule: don’t spend more than a minute on your sketches. Staying too long in this stage leads to “saturation,” where your analytical mind takes over and begins inventing details that aren’t actually there [13:03].
Learning Steps: How to Execute Stage 3 Sketches
Follow these steps to capture the visual “signal” of your target:
- Prepare the Page Start on a fresh sheet of paper. Label the top with “S3” and your page number. This gives your mind the “room” it needs to express visual data [00:44].
- The Hover Technique Take your pen and hover it slightly above the paper. Move your arm around until you feel a “kinesthetic pull” or a sense of heaviness. This indicates where on the page the sketch should begin [04:24].
- Draw Spontaneous Diagrams Let your hand move freely to create basic lines. Don’t worry about what the object is; just record the shapes (e.g., peaked, rounded, oblong) as they come to you [05:25].
- Use Multiple Sketches if Needed You aren’t limited to one drawing. If you feel the need to “zoom in” on a specific part of your first sketch, start a new S3 page and draw that specific element with more focus [08:00].
- Identify and Objectify AOLs As soon as you draw something, your brain will likely try to label it (e.g., “this looks like a boat” or “this is a frog”). Immediately write AOL – [Name] at the top or side of the page, drop your pen, and then pick it back up to continue. This “vents” the imagination so you can return to the real signal [10:54].
- The Silhouette Method (Advanced) Instead of using Stage 2 words, try softening your gaze on the blank paper until you “see” faint silhouettes or outlines. Trace these outlines quickly to capture the rawest form of visual data [11:51].
- End the Session If you aren’t moving on to Stage 4, finish by writing “End” at the bottom of the page and dropping your pen. This is a symbolic act to tell your unconscious mind to “close the window” and stop perceiving the target [13:47].
Watch Stage 3 here: https://youtu.be/WU8V6Ov4s3M