It's GOOD You Don't Have More

You don’t need more money, time, or resources to do good work.

“We are forced to create our work with insufficient resources and that weakness becomes our very strength.” -Hayao Miyazaki

If you find yourself in a creative rut, try giving yourself less…

•Time: create deadlines

•Resources: Explain something without any reference material

•People: See how good you can make something without anyone’s help

Constraints create a sense of urgency and promote creativity and resourcefulness.

My favorite example of this principle is the South Park team. They create each episode during a season in 6 days (2 of which are usually spent in procrastination).

Most people ask “Why don’t they take more time so they can make even better episodes?” But they are firm believers that the stress and focus brought on by such a short deadline are where they do their best work.

It’s similar to what the musician Jack White once said:

“Telling yourself you have all the time in the world, all the colors in the palette, that just kills creativity.”