In his book Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality, entrepreneur Scott Belsky explains how having challenges and limitations are surprisingly helpful from a creative standpoint.

 

Imagine being told to make a painting without knowing the dimensions of the canvas. The infinite options of canvas size give you a sense for what he’s saying.

 

Oftentimes, the inherent hurdles in our challenges as creatives lead us to solutions we might never have considered. Belsky underscores his point with a quote and story from famed designer, Michael Bierut. Several years ago, Bierut was challenged to create the exterior signage of the New York Times building without blocking the view from inside.

 

His solution was to break the logo into 996 pieces and arrange those pieces on a series of ceramic rods. The final product that Bierut and his firm, Pentagram, arrived at was original and inspiring. It likely never would have been explored if the visibility wasn’t a challenge.

 

Agrihoods are also the result of problem solving. Our very own Agritopia, for instance, began as a creative solution to cities that were becoming more and more distanced from naturally-grown food. The community now fuels itself and surrounding communities with farm-to-table products.

 

Barnone exists for a similar reason. It flies in the face of cheap, disposable products. Barnone’s handmade products are imbued with the heart and soul of their creators. Of course, you could argue that if we never faced an onslaught of low-end commodities, Barnone might not exist today.

 

By guest writer

Robbie Bernal