Restriction is the source of creativity
Don’t break the rules.
Whenever we discuss creativity, rules don’t find a mention anywhere. In fact, it’s a common saying that rules are meant to be broken.
That’s not always true.
Often restriction is the source of creativity.
We are afraid of rules. Instead, we should embrace them.
An artist works better when he has some rules to constrain his limits of thinking.
If an artist is given a free hand he will never be able to finish anything. He will forever chase perfection.
That’s why they are given briefs to work with on a project. Without that their thinking will not be focused on a solution.
Similarly, in real life, most people would be creative if they are bound by some rules.
When we are presented with some rules our brain starts thinking around those rules. They serve as an anchor point around which we can generate our ideas.
This also applies well when we are given a specific problem.
If the problem presented before us is vague we will not be able to think clearly about a solution. Our minds will wander.
Hence, clearly defining a problem is critical to exercise creativity. If you don’t do that then what happens is, you start with enthusiasm, but within a few minutes that dies down and you no longer know how to proceed further.
Clearly write in words what problem are you looking to solve and then see your brain connecting the dots to figure out a solution.
For example, If I ask you that I need a website for a plumbing company by tomorrow, you wouldn’t understand where to begin. Well, If you are experienced enough you can still proceed but here the problem is not clearly defined.
You need more data to get started like, what is the size of the company, what is their mission statement, who is their ideal customer, etc.
But on the other hand, If I ask you that I need a modern, clean and professional website for a mid-sized plumbing company which recently opened its business and is looking to get more customers via its website, by tomorrow.
Isn’t this clearer?
You get a lot more data about the company and now you can start your design process and generate ideas.
You can do this for any area of your life.
Create some ground rules that must be obeyed while defining your problem and then start exercising your creative muscles.
You would be far more creative.
I write on my blog daily. This is day 55 of my daily writing challenge for 2022. I write on whatever interests me. There is no word limit. I am doing this simply to become a better writer. Tag along and follow my journey as I write every single day for an entire year.
