Creativity Within Constraints

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” – proverb

These days most people are feeling big constraints on their everyday lives with the pandemic and stay at home orders. There is a lot of frustration and angst around not being able to easily do the things we used to do. Artists I have spoken with have found it challenging to stay motivated in their creative practice during the pandemic.

We are all having to rethink how we do some of the simplest of tasks, especially one done outside our homes, like exercise, food shopping, attending or teaching classes, visiting family, and going to a place of worship. We are feeling restricted and we are not liking it. We are longing to return to our pre-coronavirus lives.

One thing that this pandemic has shown me is that I had gotten comfortable with the way things were – having freedom of movement, going to events and social gatherings, buying whatever I needed without much thought. I have been reminded that in my childhood, I lived with a lot of restrictions and survived. Our family had very little expendable income, so we had to make do with what we had. My father was especially creative in re-purposing materials at hand into useful tools or furniture. I made toys and doll furniture from wooden thread spools, parts from broken toys and packaging. The internet did not exist then and TV watching was restricted to an hour after dinner. We had to be our own source of entertainment.

During these uncertain times artists may be discouraged about the not having the normal venues or outlets to produce and share their art. However, sometimes working within constraints can take you in a different direction than you normally wouldn’t go.

In a college ceramic class the instructor asked us to create a hand-built ceramic shoe. One student in particular took offense at “having his creative freedom imprisoned by the assignment.” I went the opposite direction and put an additional restrain on it by wondering “What type of shoe would I wear if I walked on my hands?” I had fun making that shoe and still have it in my studio today.

When Matisse’s eye sight was failing in his later years, he switched from painting to collage, using cutout colored paper. At age 77, he was commissioned to design a small Catholic chapel in Vence, France called the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (Chapel of the Rosary). His work with the paper collage shows through in the beautiful stain glass windows he designed.

In poetry, there are a number of traditional forms that have specific rules one must adhere to, like Haiku, couplet, and quintilla, to name a few. I find writing from prompts a useful way to uncover hidden memories I have long forgotten.

An online challenge that has become popular during the pandemic is the Museum Challenge, where museums around the world have challenged people to recreate famous works of art with things they have around the house. The Getty Museum Challenge and Tussen Kunst en Quarantaine (aka Between Art and Quarantine) have great DIY masterpieces.

I am encouraged at seeing so many people being creative while staying at home. We are making do with what we have and improvising something new. We are learning to cook, to play an instrument and exercise at home. We are finding creative ways to connect with family and friends while social distancing. And there is a plethora of musical, moving and funny videos posted about life during the pandemic.

We, as humans, are more resilient and resourceful than we think. When we are pushed into a corner, what we do with that corner makes all the difference.