02 Aug Limitations Stoke Creativity

Imposing constraints on your artwork might seem like the antithesis of creativity, but it’s an extremely useful tool in making good work.

One simple limitation is only working with a chosen color scheme. I do this often…only using 3-5 colors in a given palette. It serves to keep my pieces cohesive and the viewer’s eye moving.

Other examples of common constraints are:

•limiting the tools you use (i.e. only painting with a palette knife)

•Your subject matter (i.e. portraits of historic women)

•The time in which you create (i.e. allotting 1 fast and furious hour)

• The materials you use (i.e. Sumi ink on 8 x 10 pieces of paper)

The constraints you set as the “ground rules” give your pieces direction and serve as a foundation for creating a larger body of work…the ultimate goal for expanding your practice!

My constraints with my recent 100 day project were…

-all were created on 5 x 7 inch pieces of paper
-100 pieces in 100 days
-creating abstract work
-only using my current palettes and paint colors in my studio

What constraints do you impose on your creative work? And if you currently don’t…what’s something you’d like to try?