Creativity. It is what artists are supposed to be full of. Indeed, they do create a lot. But what is creativity and how does it apply to art?
I came across an interesting article on the web which talks about creativity as it applies to designers. Illustrators are in the same field really, just with a different skillset and focus. In particular, I found this interesting:
“Any reference to constraints that limit creativity is just another way of equating creativity with self-expression, an erroneous and irresponsible idea. Except for personal projects, self-expression has no place in design, but constraint is vital to design. No component fuels creativity more than constraint. Indeed, without constraint, creativity (and design) is irrelevant. The discovery process is mostly about finding constraints, which is why we must do such a thorough job of it.
Constraints are a designer’s best friend. They’re signposts, not shackles. In a sense, constraints amount to the solution half-built. It is merely up to us to then realize the other half according to what these signposts indicate is appropriate. Nowhere in this concept does self-expression find any valid foothold.”
Andy Rutledge, On Creativity
It is not the tools that matter, but the mind behind the tools and what someone can do with them. If you are in an wide open situation, where you have a lot available to you and can do almost anything, it could be said there are too many options and they compete for each other and end up in a deadlock. But, when you have limitations that you must overcome, suddenly resourcefulness comes in and you find solutions you had not thought of before to get past the few options that have been presented to you.
Something to keep in mind if ‘blocked’ perhaps. Try working with only three colors out of your paint palette, pencil collection or marker set. Choose a species you’ve never tried before. Do some improv brainstorming and draw with a few subjects and a situation.
If you are put in the middle of an open lot and told to refinish the surface, that seems like a lot of work. But putting up constraints, like walls of a room, limit the space and make a job much more conceivable.
What are your thoughts?
Blanc Cheetah