It is often said that creativity thrives on constraints. Boundaries can help us focus our attention and concentrate our ideas. Restricting our materials, mediums and methods can allow us to hone our technique.
The removal of excess stimuli and visual clutter can be strategic. For example, artists and designers will often restrict their palette to the bare minimum: black and white. Contrast, shape, line and negative spaces are accentuated. The absence of colour can make art more impactful and messages more powerful.
The lack of something becomes its strength. Likewise, stencils promote creativity through absence: the holes become portals through which we make something new.
