Finding Freedom Through Limitations

Limitations — of time, of resources — they resist me from getting started on that project. All I do is plan. It’s a comfort to plan. It feels like I’ve got it all under control. Everything has to be perfect before I begin. I long for an ideal harmony of resources, ideas, creativity, and time... but sooner or later, I’ll realize that an ideal harmony — it’s just not realistic. And perfectionism of planning — it’s procrastination. 

We’ll all be faced with limitations along the road. Limitations that make us feel small and curled up. It’s so frustrating to have the thought that you would be able to explore and be free and perform at your fullest potential if only you didn’t have those limits. It’s like walking with a pebble in your shoe. Your first instinct is to get it out immediately. It limits us from walking normally. But let’s look at this from another perspective — can we use that pebble in our shoe to find new ways to walk? We get the chance to hop and leap and spin on one leg and be creative through movement. Limitations can actually be a secret blessing. 

“Time, for example, is our most limited resource, but it is not the enemy of creativity that we think it is. The ticking clock is our friend if it gets us moving with urgency and passion.” — Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

A filmmaker without a professional camera can explore new angles and styles through shooting with a smartphone. Likewise, an artist who left her paintbrush at home has the opportunity to experiment with finger painting. We can shift the burden of limitations into something freeing — a chance to be unique, original, and creative. 

Limitations push us to be creative with what we have in the moment. They push us to find new ways to execute the project — new ways to walk. 

“No matter how limited your resources, they’re enough to get you started.” — Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

— Solaia