Creating Rules For Your Creativity
How to place boundaries on your making in order to push yourself creatively
Hello makers,
As I’ve been thinking about starting to make a new thing every month (a reminder that all starts on Oct 1st), the first twinges of overwhelm have kicked in. I don’t know about you, but sometimes (actually quite often), I get myself a bit over excited by all the things I want to make. Everything looks fun and beautiful and possible! So much so, that I end up feeling paralysed by what could be!
Another issue some of us have is that age-old fear of the blank white canvas, the fresh sheet of paper, the endlessly flashing cursor on the blank screen just waiting for us to start a word. Creative block. Ugh. You are sitting there with no idea where to start, or like me, and you have too many ideas so don’t know where to start! Or you are worried that once you do start, it won’t turn out how it is in your head. It can be hard. But, there is one cool little thing you can do (well it’s cool if you think rules are cool ;)).
There are so many examples of creatives giving themselves rules to follow, a figurative box to work within. A set of restrictions or constraints that narrow their focus and allow them to push past that highly inconvenient creative block. One of the most famous examples is Dr Seuss winning a $50 bet with his publisher that he couldn’t write a book using only 50 words - hello Green Eggs and Ham!
Creativity dies in freedom and thrives in constraints - Mayo Oshin
So, give yourself some rules or boundaries or constraints, and you might actually help your creativity! By limiting the way in which you work, you can gain new perspectives and find new ways of doing things. You can be more creative!
Some creative boundaries to try:
Pick one material you want to incorporate into each make, or even make the entire item from! This could be thread, fabric, wood, clay, paint, paper, things found in nature, thrifted materials etc.
Pick one colour to include in all your makes (a literal red thread?), or try to make everything in a single colour playing with tones and patterns instead.
Maybe have a list of techniques or crafts you want to try and tick off each one when you have incorporated it some way.
Or pick one crafting method to use in each item like cross stitch, weaving, dyeing, carving, collage, knitting, origami etc. This could be especially interesting as way to push yourself if you are set on one craft but want to find new ways of playing with it.
Decide at the beginning of each month of making, who your item is for and think of that person as you curate your ideas and get making.
Maybe everything you make has to be geometric, or floral, or include images of skulls! (reference to Noah Scalin and his skull-a-day project)
If you have some ideas for interesting creative rules and boundaries, I would love to hear them! Comment below or head over to insta and share using the hashtag #seektomake.
Happy making,
Esta
P.s. If you are interested in reading more info behind creative constraints check out this article and this article.
What a great idea to place boundaries within our creativity. I often want to use too many colours, too much pattern and then end up not knowing how to proceed. I loved the link to 'a skull a day' and who would have thought of all the different possibilities that were created from that one subject matter.