Limitations Can Be A Gift (in art or life)

Some thoughts on creative limitations and not-favorite circumstances

Hey there. I hope you’re hanging in there in a month that tends to be a bit extra stressful. (Some call it “Maycember” because it’s busy like December but…without the songs and cookies.) Parents and kids in school especially are flooded with all the end-of-year parties, field trips, and projects. Whew.

It helps to remember that having obligations means you have people you care about. You might not get any value out of attending a graduation or a passive-aggressive work party—and yes, maybe you should politely decline—but I hope you get to see it as “treasuring the people I love” instead of “wasting my afternoon.” I hope you get to savor some friendships amid the cluttered schedule this month. But I also hope that the next the few months have much more margin and simplicity and that you get to dive deep into the relationships that matter the most to you ❤️

Today I briefly want to encourage you with a story from art history that has lessons for your artistic endeavors as well as how you see life.

In Rembrandt Is In the Wind—and also in this article—Russ Ramsey shares the story of Michaelangelo’s famous (and pretty much perfect) sculpture David. Towering at over 13 feet tall, most people don’t know that this marble masterpiece was initially worked on by two other sculptors before the 26-year-old Michaelangelo was commissioned for the project! And those guys did not do a great job. Imagine not getting to start from scratch but having to build on what two different people have already done.

Michaelangelo had to work within limits.

And what came from those challenging restraints was a marvelous gift to the world.

Russ Ramsey writes: “How different would Michaelangelo’s David have been if he had begun with a virgin stone? What artistic choices would he have made otherwise? Would that sculpture be as beloved as the one we’ve received?” (pg 35)

“Living with limits is one of the ways we enter into beauty we would not have otherwise seen, good work we would not have chosen, and relationships we would not have treasured.” (pg 36)

What are some limitations you’re dealing with right now? Maybe it’s your budget, your health, your job, where you live, relationships that require a lot from you…chances are, there are things weighing you down a bit. Or at least it feels that way. We all have obstacles that aren’t ideal and that make us feel a bit trapped, or at least hindered from living our dreams.

Remember this: limitations are not the worst. In my opinion, delusions of self-sufficiency are the worst.¹

We do have limits. When we don’t respect them, something bad usually happens and we’re forced to acknowledge our limits anyway. When someone in my family gets sick, I’ve learned to reframe it as “forced slowness”…our bodies will take a break if they need one, whether we want them to or not.

When you feel like your hands are tied by your circumstances, remember Michaelangelo. He didn’t get to have complete control, but he still made a masterpiece. The parameters over your life don’t mean you can’t do something beautiful with it.

Some questions to ponder:

• What are some limitations you have in your life right now?

• What are some good things that are resulting from those limitations that might not have occurred otherwise?

• How can giving kids creative restrictions sometimes (such as a small color palette or a prompt) help them create better art?

• How can seeing the freedom in limitations improve your life and happiness?

I hope that helps. You’re seen. ❤️

Warmly,

Hope from Family Scripts

1. I wrote about the delusions of self-sufficiency on my personal blog if you would like to read more.