When creative pressure gets the best out of us B

oundaries tend to boost creativity. Notice how you focus on a deadline. That is because of the constraint of time.

Constraints come in many forms. It could be found in restricted resources, limited skill sets, confined spaces, few options etc.

You admire Monet impressionist paintings? Well he forced himself to repeatedly paint the way light broke on his subjects from all angles. He contrasted colour instead of light and dark softening edges in the process.

Ever wondered how the Apollo 13 avoided killing the entire crew in an explosion in 1970? Carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts began to build up in the module. The engineering team had to figure out a way to clean the air using just the equipment on board and fast. It forced them to think and build in record time an improvised adapter using all sort of random parts to absorb carbon dioxide.

For some reason, limitless possibilities do not inspire us to become creative geniuses. The greatest art and innovation all appear to come from a situation of constraint. Constraints ignite creativity and awaken inventiveness. Constraints are masked advantages. Constraints forces focus. And obsessive focus feeds back our creativity.

One of the best examples of the focus and creative skill development as a result of constraints can be seen in Brazilian soccer. A 23-year-old Uraguayanian back in 1930s invented a game called futsal. Futsal is very similar to soccer, but it is played in a smaller area with a smaller ball and has only five players per side. This combination of factors requires futsal players to develop more creative ball skills. Additionally, because there are fewer players, each player touches the ball much more than traditional soccer.

The Brazilians in the 1940s fell in love with futsal. In fact, more people play futsal in Brazil than soccer. It can be said that the athletic creativity developed in futsal games is the reason why 1958 to 1970 Brazil won three of the four World Cups and continues to rule the world stage in soccer. Abundant spending on innovation does not guarantee

Always remember that restricting your boundaries frees up the space for you to focus and become more creative

success in the market. As a result, movements such as ‘juggard innovation’ are gaining lots of momentum around the world.

Jugaad is a Hindi-Punjabi word that means innovative fix or a simple work-around/making do to solve a complicated issue. It often involves making existing things work or to create new with little resources.

Different constraints act as stimuli for our creativity. Here are a few you can test run to see what works best for you once you identify the skill you want to harness through restraints and keep practising it: Time constraints. Some of you work best on tightly timed projects. So to develop your writing skills schedule a constraint that you publish a new article every Monday. The schedule is the constraint. If this works for you, the Pomodoro system to organise your day may also be useful i.e. a time management method that breaks down work into intervals (traditionally 25 minutes in length) separated by short breaks. Burst of activity with frequent breaks may just light your creativity fire.

Resources restraints. Give yourself fewer resources (or different resources) to do a task. Picasso limited his painting during his blue period to shades of blue and green (green can improve your creative performance according to some studies)! Ernest Hemingway is said to have limited one of his shortest stories ever to only six words.

Task limitations. Do one thing and get obsessive about it. There is a reason why people often fail at keeping up with New Year’s resolutions. There are simply too many things on the list. Multitasking often involved lack of focus and mediocrity. Focus helps you tap into your creativity.

Always remember that restricting your boundaries frees up the space for you to focus and become more creative. So if you are stuck, remember it is really not more you need but having less will get you going. Sallyann Della Casa delivers 21st century skills through

her edu-tech APP, GLEAC