The Gift of Obstacles

My freedom thus consists in my moving about within the narrow frame that I have assigned to myself for each one of my undertakings. I shall go even further: my freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminishes constraint diminishes strength. The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself of the claims that shackle the spirit. - Igor Stravinsky, Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons

We often think of creative freedom as being without obstacles or hinderances of any kind. When someone says that I have “full creative freedom” I get nervous. Freedom in this case means that I probably won’t submit to a creative process, including deadlines.

Without obstacles, I get nothing done and what I do complete probably won’t be very good. Without obstacles, nothing grows - in me or the art.

I don’t know about you, but I need something to push against.

If I’ve learned anything it is that creativity (in art making or relationships, even) only really happens in the tension.

So, if you find yourself lacking obstacles, you better create some. Or, just about everything you make will suck.

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