Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Necessity of Limitations

Observe the mantra of the arrogantly pretentious, pseudo-creative buffoon: “No Limits.” This statement, though superficially innocuous and creatively inspiring, is a load of sophomoric tripe. So far removed from the grit of real creation is this utterance that it isn’t even qualifiable as an ideology or mode of operation. It is a childish illusion. Limitations are the framework within which all tangible creation occurs. Limitations provide the ground upon which you stand. Without limitations, one is left groundless, non-referential, irrelevant, and often altogether unintelligible. The confines of language (as art is ultimately a language) provide the architecture and context for a statement. Meaning is made possible by limitations. Precision is made possible by limitations. Creation is made possible by limitations. The absence of limitation, confinement, boundary, and rule is the absence of form and structure. This is not to say that immutable, inflexible, permanent values need be established and respected. Values are only values. There is no cause for allegiance to a value. Values should be constantly re-evaluated in order to remain current and relevant. They should be relevant in the context of creation. To be red is not to be blue. This is a limitation. These colors are only as we define them, and that definition entails that they are not anything other than what they are. Limitations do not imply lack of vision or innovation. They provide structure. It is the correct balance of limitation and creativity that nurtures an ideal environment for the creation of art.
 

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