Limitation to Liberation

In Reno, we aren't necessarily as hip and artsy as Portlanders, so we have a month dedicated to being artistically inclined rather than being so all year around. Anyway, this month my little city is Artown, which means a bunch of free art, music, events, and performances (including a performance tonight by the Note-Ables, an inclusive music group that provides a creative musical outlet for people of all ages and abilites). This also means I've got art on the brain and, therefore, the blog. Summer and art just seem to go together, though, don't they?

I hope you all watch this artsy and introspective TED Talk below, because even if the message doesn't jive with you, the art is super cool. The speaker, Phil Hansen, shares his discovery that limitation ended up being exactly what he needed in order to free himself creatively. Hansen had been an art student, but after being discouraged by permanent nerve damage that left him unable to pursue a certain style of art, Hansen decided to “embrace the shake,” a mantra of sorts that eventually led him to see that embracing his limitation could drive his creativity:

“Limitations may be the most unlikely of places to harness creativity, but perhaps one of the best ways to get ourselves out of ruts, rethink categories, and challenge accepted norms. And instead of telling each other to seize the day, maybe we can remind ourselves every day to seize the limitation.”

The video is ten minutes, so I will leave my introduction short. As always, I highly encourage you to watch it and share your thoughts. It's one thing to embrace limitation, but what do you think about deliberately creating limitations for the sake of, as Hansen puts it, liberation? As someone who struggles with my own artistic creativity blocks, I find it extremely compelling. But I want to know what you all think! Watch the video and leave a comment here or on our Facebook page!