When less is more
Hello dear reader!
Today I want to discuss why sometimes I prefer a smaller sandbox. As Dustin and I have discussed previously, we are doing the Story-A-Day challenge through September. As we get closer and closer to the end of September, I am feeling a little less motivated to keep coming up with story ideas.
Being the overthinker that I am, I wanted to figure out why this was. I can hear you now, “But Tiff, maybe you’re just burned out? Maybe it’s time to take a break?” Yes, but. This didn’t feel exactly like that.
Something that I was reminded of is that when I have TOO much creative freedom I sometimes struggle. It’s like there are so many options I get overwhelmed. If you have to make a decision between 100 things or a decision between 3 things, which will be easier? Picking between three things, right?
When I’m sitting in my proverbial sandbox of infinite options, there’s just too many things to pick from and then my brain gets tired or bored or lazy or some combination there-of.
I actually find that I do better when I have even just a tiny bit of direction or some limitations. The smaller my sandbox gets the easier it is to make a decision. The fewer tools/toys in my sandbox the more creative I have to get to get the desired outcomes.
Let me give you an example:
Tell me a story about anything in the whole world.
vs
Tell me a story about a stowaway on a pirate ship.
One of them will leave me trying to figure out what idea I like best, or struggling to come up with something that I feel has to be exciting or dramatic or the best. But with some guidelines in place, I can get to work right away and start making it exciting within the boundaries of the sandbox.
Again, I don’t think this is necessarily applicable in all situations, but if you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a creative rut, sometimes giving yourself more rules or less to work with can actually help force you to be more creative and get things going. Sometimes less is more.
Till next time dear reader, see how creative you can be within the boundaries of a smaller sandbox and let me know how it goes. <3 Tiff
