Think Inside the Box: Why Constraints Spark Your Best Ideas

“…if only we had more time, more money, more people…” It’s a familiar thought for leaders and creative teams alike. But what if the secret to breakthrough ideas isn’t removing constraints—but embracing them? Some of our most innovative solutions emerge not despite limitations, but because of them.

It is these very limitations that push us toward more creative solutions. Especially if we maintain our vision of what could be and don’t allow the natural pressures of constraints to limit our imagination or discourage our process.

For this memo, I pulled together 4 powerful quotes. They are reminders that constraints are not the problem - and can actually be breakthrough you need to be more imaginative.

ONE.

“Creativity loves constraints...but they must be balanced with a healthy disregard for the impossible.” - Marissa Mayer – Yahoo! CEO; Businessweek

A group of college students were challenged by their instructor to make as much money as they could in a few hours. But instead of cash, they only allowed to use a handful of paperclips as “seed money.” While this scenario looked daunting, they found creative ways to make nearly $1000 dollars under these extreme constraints.*  

These students disregarded what seemed impossible and leaned into their limitations.

There is an important concept here: Don’t constrain the vision – constrain the process. In other words, consider what you want, regardless of what seems possible. Think BIG! Set your sights on what you truly want, regardless of your current circumstances. Then go to work!

TWO.

"...complete freedom often stifles creative potential. How can one make something from nothing, especially when anything is possible." - Jaime Zollars, 'IlLISTration'

When I was trying to get my illustration work to be more innovative and unique in the marketplace, I took the advice of my thesis professor. He suggested that I remove limitations by clearing my schedule, gathering all the materials I might need into my studio, and then engaging in what he called “freewheeling exploration.”

I did this, and spent 3 days in unconstrained experimentation. Ironically, the results were… disappointing. The work was fun, but not terribly unique or compelling.  I came to understand that my process had too much freedom.

Since that didn’t work, I went the other way and added several constraints to my process. I chose one story with a single set of characters, and I did not allow myself to illustrate other things. I generated a list of artists (that were stylistically very different from me) and forced myself to draw or design like them. I generated lists of different types of media, drew them out a hat, and then required myself to combine them in unusual ways.  

The result was a body of work that featured unique styles, new compositions, and novel character designs. This work developed into to a unique picture book style that was a significant boost to my illustration career.

THREE.

“...classic starting point of any project. Almost like a scientific hypothesis, the [project] brief is a set of mental constraints that gives the project team a framework from which to begin, benchmarks by which they can measure progress, and a set of objectives to be realized.”  - Tim Brown, Change By Design

Sometimes people think about creativity as thinking “outside the box,” moving beyond the constraints. And sometimes that is what it means. But I have found a greater need for imagination and creativity within the box (or structure) where the constraints are clearly defined.

The use of a project brief is a great way to help people focus.

If you find that your team is floundering, either in the sea of unconstrained possibilities, or the desert of conventional ideas – consider your project brief. If the project prompt is not focused (or correctly balanced) their collective imagination will be distracted or bored. (You can learn more about this in Chapter 10 of my book.)

Four.

“An intelligent obstacle or constraint is one laden with creative tension” - Matthew E. May, How Intelligent Constraints Drive Creativity

Creative tension is a vital part of the creative process. It becomes apparent when we set a clear vision and then notice the gap between where we are and where we want to be. We also feel some creative tension when constraints or limitations are strategically placed in our creative process.

For example, you might use time, number, and size limitations as you brainstorm with your team.

• Allow them 3 minutes to come up with as many ideas as possible for one question.

• Limit them to 5 votes (or points) that they can use to highlight what they think are the best ideas.

• Limit their words to what they can write on one sticky note so that they are encouraged to find and explain the core of their idea.  

Each of these apparent obstacles or limitations, will activate their imagination.

Just one last note – make sure that you are restricting the process and not the vision. All creative work needs an aspirational, meaningful vision to inspire the imagination. If your team is not free to imagine an amazing future result, they will not have the drive to push through roadblocks and reach their destination.

Written by Scott J. Wakefield - Founder

* Nail it Scale it, Paul Ahlstrom, p.17

“Tina Seelig (Stanford Technology Ventures Program) gave college students “five dollars and a few hours to make as much money as possible. Initially, students found some creative ways to make a little money, often more than $100. However, when Tina made the problem more challenging by giving them a handful of paperclips, many students’ perspective shifted, and they realized that the real constraint was not the money, but their time. These students creatively found ways to turn a handful of paperclips into close to $1000 in just a few hours’ time.”