Ikigai Thought for Today: Color Inside the Lines
A thought spark.
Color inside the lines; just be willing to move them.
David E. Marlow
This Red Maple ablaze on a cloudy fall day gave me a thought spark. Like drawn lines, the black trunk and branches provided borders for the reds and oranges contained within.
My mind immediately drew (pun intended) a connection between the lines and colors of the tree and this insight about creativity.
Many people believe you must think outside the box or color outside the lines to innovate or be creative.
Being completely free or completely different is great fun and sometimes necessary, if only for idea generation.
The reality is the human mind works better within some constraints. Let's face it: even in our boldest efforts, there are still constraints.
Let me share a personal adage for working within some rules or limits.
Color inside the lines; just be willing to move them.
Work within the boundary guidelines, then nudge and stretch them. Or even, on rare occasions, push them way beyond what anyone imagined.
Those will become the new lines, and the difference will be amazing.
What lines?
Absolutely; constraints are a catalyst to creativity!