Limitations

"The absence of limitations is the enemy of art." 
-- Orson Welles


In our current age of too much choice, limitations are a good thing. They help us to focus and to innovate. The old saying: "Necessity is the mother of invention" is true. When I was growing up, money was tight (my parents were starting a business) and we lived in the middle of nowhere. If we ran out of something, we made do with what we had and my parents were quite innovative whether it was making a meal or fixing something. Necessary creativity was modelled daily and I attribute this as being the foundation of my own inventiveness. Having every tool and material under the sun does not make you or me a more creative person. If anything, too much stuff and too much choice hinders. As I heard in a meeting the other day, we need bull pens.


P.S. Today is the 15th anniversary of living without a television! This has been an excellent limitation that I highly recommend.