Why Constraints Make Better Art

Too many choices kill creativity. Give an artist infinite options and they make nothing. Give them limits and they make masterpieces.

The reason is simple. Constraints force decisions. You cannot spend hours choosing when there are only three options. You pick one and move forward. Momentum matters more than perfect choices.

Some of the best art came from limitations. The Nintendo Entertainment System could only display 56 colors. Game developers made iconic characters with those 56 colors. They did not complain. They created.

Try it yourself. Make something using only two colors. Or only straight lines. Or only one brush. The limitation will push you in directions you would not have gone otherwise.

The computer gives infinite options. That is a trap. Close some doors so you can walk through others.