A friend of mine sent me this excerpt from an article in WIRED magazine. I never thought I'd say this, but.... I was actually inspired by an article in a tech magazine! Here's the excerpt:
You're Looking at a Box
by Scott Dadich, Creative Director, WIRED
...But for all that we can't do in this static medium [print media], we find enlightenment and wonder in its possibilities. This is a belief most designers share. In fact, the worst thing a designer can hear is an offhand "Just do whatever you want." That's because designers understand the power of limits. Constraint offers an unparalleled opportunity for growth and innovation.
Think of a young tree, a sapling. With water and sunshine, it can grow tall and strong. But include some careful pruning early in its development - removing low-hanging branches - and the tree will grow taller, stronger, faster. It won't waste precious resources on growth that doesn't serve its ultimate purpose. The same principle applies to design. Given fewer resources you have to make better decisions...
The idea of operating within constraints - of making more with less - is especially relevant these days. From Wall Street to Detroit to Washington, the lack of limits has proven to be a false freedom. With all the economic gloom, you might not be blamed for feeling that the boundless American frontier seems a little less expansive. But design teaches us that this is our hour of opportunity...
The imposition of limits doesn't stifle creativity, it enables it.
1 comment:
This is a lesson God has been teaching our family, too, and it has blessed us so incredibly much to find a simpler way of living.
A few weeks ago, my husband had a craving for fresh blueberry muffins and mentioned it to me. Since he seldom asks for anything special, I really wanted to make them for him, since he works so hard to provide for us. I went to the store to buy fresh blueberries and just about had a heart attack when they were priced at over $5 for a pint. I couldn't justify spending that much.
I picked up one of those freebie local ad papers on the way out of the grocery store. On the front page was an ad for a you-pick blueberry place just north of town, at $4/gallon. I called up to see if they still had plenty of berries, and they did, so I gathered up buckets and children and we went to pick berries. We got the chance to meet the owners, who mentioned they were looking for a church to attend, and invited them to visit ours. We picked several buckets full of juicy, ripe blueberries and ended up getting 4 GALLONS for less than $10, so our freezer is now stocked with blueberries to enjoy year-round! We got to bless an elderly couple whose own berry plants hadn't produced with berries for their freezer, and we had fun along the way...because we didn't buy a $5 pint of blueberries at the grocery store. I love the way God provides opportunities and blessings even in little things! :)
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