What is your 'Box" and how do you think outside of It?

Every year at the Design Retreat I coordinate for my company, Cochenille Design Studio, we begin our days with a Creative Exercise.

Last week, at our retreat in New Mexico, I gave my group their morning exercise of thought. Since our goal in the retreat was to learn how to think and design outside of the box, I figured we needed to talk a little about the 'Box'. So, I asked each of the students....


What is your box?
And how do you think outside the box?

Here are their responses:

Evelyn (Chicago, IL)My box is the perfection box.
To get out of the box, I need to make myself become free to make mistakes, and to realize that mistakes can be my greatest creations.

Eman (Spokane, WA)
The box is what the majority of society sees as norm, including sub-cultures within
To get outside of the box, I make errors that need correction. I also look at things outside inthe environment and to include. I also “listen to my fabric”.

Cynthia (Torrington, CT)
My box is a fixed empty place where you can only put in so many things of certain shapes and sizes. Organized, regular things with predetermined shapes and sizes.
To think outside of the box is to ignore that you have a fixed box and stretch the box into the shape you want it to be. Then, fill it with the things you want. In other words, ignore the box completely and free form your thoughts without boundaries.

Sue (Cookeville, TN)
My box is filled with “my” thoughts, actions and beliefs.
My box becomes flexible and elastic only when Iinteract with the world via literature, conversation, visual engagement, meditation, prayer. “My” box becomes brittle and stale and lost if interaction does not occur!

My box is my own perfection
To get out of the box, is being freer,

Lisa (Trenton, NJ)
I have two boxes – One box is my training box, learning techniques, the way I was trained. The other box is “Who would ever wear something like that?
To think outside of the box, I just let it go and start pushing the techniques.
For the second one, if I allow myself to just make art, it doesn’t become too crazy to wear. I allowed myself to create art, and it works out.

Cheri (Lynnwood, WA)
My box is “what people expect, or the expected”
To get out, I do the unexpected. E.g. using a contrasting color, a curved line among straight line,s or a spot of color among a neutral.

Sarah (Shoreline, WA)
My box is that I don’t think free enough. … too many constraints. I tend to pre-judge it before I let it go.
To get out, I need to let go of the technical thinking.

Carol (Glen Ellyn, IL)
My box is “my technical training”
To get out of that I need to experiment with non-traditional, eg.. using non-traditional shapes to create the garment.

Susan (... me... San Diego, CA)
My box is thinking that I am not an artist.
To get out of my box, I have learned that an artist is a state mind, and I have learned to break rules, happily make mistakes, and lose of fear of doing things wrong. Things become much freer and think as a child.


So... for those reading this blog? What is your box? and how do YOU get out of it. Care to comment?