Getting stuck in a creative rut has happened to us all. It’s frustrating and it sometimes looks like it will never end. Fortunately, there are ways to make yourself inspired and start creating and enjoying the process again. Rachel and Daniel from Mango Street propose one of the ways in their latest video: restrain yourself.
It may sound contradictory: you already feel restrained, and now you need to add even more limitations. But, the truth is that this can push your creativity forward and actually make you more creative. Have a look how Daniel and Rachel applied this method.
The couple challenged one another to take photos only under certain conditions, or in other words – with various limitations. So, Daniel had to take photos only while lying on his back or shooting through his legs. Rachel was only allowed to shoot with the camera above her head, or while lying on her belly. Daniel had one set shot only with manual focus, and Rachel with the shutter speed of 1/30 or slower. The point is – each restriction forced them to think within the limits imposed on them.
The reasons to get stuck in a creative rut are many. But I believe one of them is the overwhelming amount of possibilities and choices. This is why posing certain restrictions can make you more focused and forced to think within a certain framework.
As for the limitations, there can be plenty of them. You can limit yourself to shooting only with a prime lens under specific conditions. You can start an alphabet challenge and shoot only with a toy camera. Or like Rachel and Daniel, you can shoot only with specific camera settings or from a specific point of view. Either way, you will have the challenge to focus on, and you’ll start creating and enjoying photography again.
[Take Your Photos to the Next Level When in a Creative Rut | Mango Street]
