Our Constraints on Creativity
A deep dive into the various ways we limit ourselves creatively and how to overcome these barriers to unlock our full potential.
There are multiple constraints that limit how creative we can be as humans. Let’s talk about each of them and how we can counter them.
Type 1: Not Hearing Your Inner Creativity
What I’ll call Type 1 is the inability to access your true, internal self. I discovered this concept while reading “Letters to a Young Poet” — a correspondence between a young poet and Rilke in the early 1900s.
The young poet sought advice about his poetry. Rilke responded by urging him to reconnect with his inner curious child:
To be solitary as you were when you were a child, when the grownups walked around involved with matters that seemed large and important because they looked so busy and because you didn’t understand a thing about what they were doing.
— Rainer Maria Rilke
Rilke argued that we’re most creative as young children — exploring without access to the adult world. Everything is possible. Everything becomes a game, exciting, imaginative. Rilke believed this represents our purest form of creativity.
The Mathematical Connection
I encountered a similar idea again in “Mathematica” by David Bessis, which explains how our understanding of advanced mathematics is completely wrong. This is one of my favorite books in many years.
It argues you can’t learn higher-level math through memorization or mastering equations. Instead, it says Math is imagination-based! And that it requires visualizing how things work and how they connect.
This visual understanding isn’t secondary — it’s the primary mode of mathematical thinking. When we disconnect from this imaginative approach, we lose our natural mathematical intuition.
Type 2: Social Conditioning
The second major constraint comes from society telling us what’s “proper” or “appropriate.” From a young age, we learn to fit into prescribed boxes:
- Don’t draw outside the lines
- Follow the instructions exactly
- There’s only one right answer
- Don’t ask too many questions
These social constraints create invisible boundaries around our thinking. We self-censor before we even begin to explore creative possibilities.
Breaking Free from Convention
The antidote to social conditioning is deliberately practicing unconventional thinking. This might involve:
- Questioning assumptions you’ve never questioned before
- Exploring ideas that feel “wrong” or uncomfortable
- Giving yourself permission to be different
- Seeking out diverse perspectives and experiences
Type 3: Resource Limitations
Sometimes our creativity is constrained by very real resource limitations:
- Time: “I don’t have enough time to be creative”
- Money: “I can’t afford the tools I need”
- Space: “I don’t have a proper workspace”
- Knowledge: “I don’t know enough to get started”
While these constraints are real, they often become excuses that prevent us from starting at all. The key is to work within constraints rather than waiting for perfect conditions.
Creativity thrives on constraints. When we have unlimited resources, we often produce our most mediocre work.
Type 4: Fear of Judgment
Perhaps the most paralyzing constraint is the fear of what others will think. This manifests in several ways:
Imposter Syndrome
That voice that says “Who am I to create this? I’m not a real artist/writer/creator.” This internal critic can stop us before we even begin.
Perfectionism
The belief that our work must be perfect from the first attempt. This leads to:
- Endless planning without execution
- Starting over repeatedly
- Never sharing our work
- Analysis paralysis
Overcoming Creative Constraints
The path to greater creativity involves recognizing these constraints and developing strategies to work around them:
1. Reconnect with Curiosity
Schedule regular time for playful exploration. Approach problems with the mindset of a child who doesn’t yet know what’s “impossible.”
2. Embrace Constraints as Features
Instead of waiting for perfect conditions, use limitations as creative prompts. Some of the most innovative solutions come from working within tight constraints.
3. Create for an Audience of One
Start by creating for yourself. When you remove the audience, you remove the judgment. Once you’ve built confidence, gradually expand your circle of feedback.
4. Practice “Productive Failure”
Set aside time specifically for bad ideas and failed experiments. When failure becomes part of the process, it loses its power to paralyze.
The Meta-Constraint
There’s one final constraint worth mentioning: the constraint of thinking about constraints. Sometimes our awareness of limitations becomes its own limitation.
The goal isn’t to eliminate all constraints — that’s impossible. Instead, it’s to develop a conscious relationship with them. To choose which constraints serve us and which ones hold us back.
True creativity isn’t the absence of constraints — it’s the artful dance with them.
What constraints have you noticed in your own creative work? I’d love to hear about your experiences overcoming creative barriers.