Constraints aren’t always the brick walls that they are made out to be
In 1995, JK Rowling was a single mother, penniless, and living off welfare. She wrote in a cafe and typed the first few chapters of Harry Potter on a manual typewriter.
The manuscript was rejected by all major publications.
She said that failure freed her from false constraints and pretenses, and allowed her to bring out the creativity that resided inside her as she wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.
She spoke about this dark phase in the following terms:
“Had I really succeeded at anything else I may never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena where I truly belonged. I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized and I was still alive and I still had a daughter whom I adored. And I had an old typewriter and a big idea.
And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
Think about it. Single mother. No money. No steady source of income.
Talk about creating under constraints.
Constraints. Rules. Boundaries. Pre-set templates. They often end up stifling our creativity.
We have all read of start-ups with burn rates that would put an F1 car to shame and then going bust. That’s what happens some times when constraints are removed and checks and balances are thrown out of the window.
But constraints aren’t always the brick walls that they are made out to be.
Some of the best inventions have come from working around constraints.
I came across this fascinating company called Welcome Industries whose approach to product design really blew my mind.
For instance, check out this set of measuring cups — that actually reflect the size!
So a half-cup is actually half cup. Think of how much this simplifies the act of cooking and baking.
This is an example of an invention born out of a constraint. It seemed as if measuring cup sizes were set in stone and no one could do anything about it. An enterprising designer used this constraint to create something amazing.
You can listen to the journey of how these cups came to be at the Rework podcast:
While working and creating, we encounter broadly three kinds of constraints:
a) Real
b) Imagined
c) Flexible
A real constraint is one you can actually put in words and can be defined.
‘I don’t have the money.’
‘I don’t have the time.’
‘There is a policy against that.’
‘We don’t do work like that.’
‘My boss keeps undermining me.’
An imagined constraint is one which is many times, all in the head, or not backed by ample proof
‘The client seems conservative.’
‘I’ll lose my job for making that suggestion.’
‘The culture doesn’t support innovative thinking.’
‘They look mean.’
‘They’re out to get me.’
‘I don’t think I’ll be able to find the time.’
A flexible constraint is one which we sometimes mistake for being a real one because we don’t work around them.
‘I can take up your project, but that means reducing my socializing.’
‘Sure, we can do that, but that would require us to temporarily stop working on the other project you gave us.’
‘I can probably launch my podcast if I don’t spend an hour watching Netflix every night.’
Of course, the boundaries between each of these are very porous.
For instance, you might have the money but you want to do something else with it.
You don’t want to take up another project so you’re creating a false pretext.
So this means figuring out what kind of constraint you’re actually facing.
An imagined constraint is what most of us do battle with in some area of our lives. If you look at some area where your lack of accomplishment is baffling, it’s most probably a result of an imagined constraint. Sometimes, it takes another person to see this and free you from its grasp.
A flexible constraint involves self-introspection and soul searching. Are you bullshitting yourself about something or putting something off that you know you need to be doing?
A real constraint is something you need to find a solution for. If you’re convinced it’s real, don’t bother fighting it. Walk away from it, or don’t complain about it.
Some constraints move from real to flexible if you give it time. A new parent might have to put aside a side project on hold for some time until they get used to a new normal. On the other hand, wishing an unsupportive culture will change course is just wishful thinking. It will remain a real constraint as long as you choose to stay in it.
So the only thing we have to play around with are imagined and flexible constraints.
When I see this video, I get goosebumps:
That’s the freedom all of us yearn for — to leap, create, and yet have a safety harness to keep us safe. Without that constraint, the bungee jumpers will plunge to their death.
That’s what removing constraints feels like. Suddenly, you’re free to create, free to experiment, free to fail, free to push boundaries, free to find yourself.
There is no such thing as a constraint-free life. But the moment you free yourself of all the needless and imaginary constraints, you are free to bring your best self to your work.
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