An Unexpected Ingredient to Make Creativity Happen

What would you say are the necessary ingredients for creativity? 

How do we foster creativity within ourselves and our teams?

Inspiration. Getting the Muse to pay us a visit.

Blue sky thinking. The kind of dreaming where anything is possible.

Strategy stuff: complete with whiteboard, dry-erase markers, and incomprehensible scribbling.

Julie Taymor, the famed director of The Lion King on Broadway, had a most surprising answer, though. 

Limitations.

Really?

It surprised me when she shared her process in a PBS interview. Though celebrated for her imaginative reinterpretation of the animated film in a most creative way, she believed that imposing limitations on the creative process was key.

Limitations.

Like determining word count for the copywriter. Developing a project brief for the design team. Narrowing that promo video to 60 seconds from the get-go.

Limitations, why?

Years ago, while debriefing with an art director on an ad project, I was encouraged to see Julie’s principle validated. 

“Chad, it was so great having the direction for this ad clearly mapped out in the project brief before we started the project. Because I knew where we were going, I could work within that space. It really gave me what I needed to be creative.”

Ah, so even a blank canvas has definition and limitation?

You betcha.

So, if you’re feeling stuck in your creative process, you may need to impose some limitations.