Friday evening I was able to catch a screening of The White Stripes new tour video, Under Great White Northern Lights, and must say I made some mental connections. Jack White’s explanation of the band’s perceived minimalism really grabbed me. In fact he hinted on a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately: the tendency of simplicity and boundaries to promote creativity. As White further noted, having all the time in the world to create an album, or the whole color palette at his disposal was not as conducive to creation as imposing limitations on his work. I think we’re all pretty much in this same state now. We’ve all limited ourselves for a while, one month for some, more than a year for others, and in regards to myself, only three months.
With our self-imposed limitations, however, comes both ease and complexity. As I sort through my wardrobe, the complex, printed items seem more difficult to dress up than in the past. Simple, solid items go a lot further. I can make more out of an all-black outfit than I can out of a printed sundress. The simple items can travel in more directions, transitioning more easily between formal and casual. Because they’re also basic, it’s easier to wear them from week to week without looking the same all the time, but it’s also a challenge to think of new ideas, or exciting new ways to tie ribbons around the waists of plain tee shirts and hem jeans with glittery threads. I’ve come to understand that working through the limitations is a lot more fun than buying pretty clothes from a pretty contrived department store, even if it takes a little more effort. Embarking on this project has shown how minimalism can be complex. It has flipped our lives, turning something that once seemed difficult into an easy task to accomplish, and the things we always thought were straightforward and simple have even turned into challenges that must be overcome with a heavy dose of strategy. Overall, we have to “think outside the box” in order to live within boundaries, discovering that sometimes there’s a whole world inside that box that we may have never explored without daring ourselves to complete a challenge.
Loading ...
