Do you ever find yourself thinking "If I only had more time/money/resources/people I could create beautiful things." But does having unlimited resources actually increase our creative abilities?
Last winter I listened to a radio program that discussed this very thing. The interviewee explained how when he was required to create with limits his creativity soared. I have been thinking on this for some months now.
Some of our limits are set upon us such as our budget, time, and available materials. But occasionally we can impose limits on ourselves to really stretch our imaginations.
The first project I did after listening to the program was wrapping my brown paper packages last Christmas. I wanted to decorate the brown paper in a cute Christmasy way that would be flat and hopefully survive the road trip home with the family they were for. Right there we already have some limits. But when I sat down in my craft room with all my supplies it was really overwhelming. There were too many things to choose from and I was spending too much time figuring out what to do. I decided to set some limits for myself. I chose a collection of Christmas papers that I had on hand and used those papers. After I had set the limits, my creativity took off and I was easily able to finish the packages in a reasonable amount of time. I was really happy with how they turned out.
Some of my favorite Internet examples of creating with limits are the M&J Trimming blogger challenges (1 and 2). A selection of bloggers are given a set of materials and asked to create projects using just those materials. It is inspiring to see what they create.
I haven't done this yet, but I want to get out a bunch of craft supplies that I haven't used for awhile and just sit down and make something. Doesn't that sound glorious?
Creating new outfits out of what you already have in your closet is a good way to create with limits. That is what I tried to do when I had my "Shop Your Closet" series. If I try to look at it that way, I tend to shop less and spend less money.
Have you had any experience in creating with limits? Do they increase or decrease your creativity? What limits do you set for yourself? Do you want to try creating this way?
Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. I would like to do a follow up on this post if you guys will share what you think!
