In my spheres of creativity, we think wrongly. Our assumption is that the more options we have open to us, the better the chance of us creating something interesting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I\u2019d argue that limited options can be a spur towards greater creativity. Granted, the lack of options can sometimes be overly restrictive: I suspect the cave painters of Lascaux would have done some interesting work with a canvas and oils, or even a full set of pastels and a cave wall. [Although the 600 or so paintings, dating back 17 000 years, are pretty stunning…] <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, though, restrictions are anything but limiting when it comes to art \u2013 or even to wine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of photography. Working in black and white \u2013 giving up all those colours \u2013 can actually open up the creative process. As a photographer you see the world differently when colour isn\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or the theatre. Compared with the modern filmmakers’ toolkit, including all the CGI, having a few people on stage with a simple set seems like the sort of restriction that would be stifling. Yet plays are often intensely compelling. Of course, they are different to films, but the shared quality is that of writing a play and acting it, and so they can \u2013 at this level \u2013 be compared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s radio. And novels. Giving up vision, which is so important to us humans, would seem to doom these two media. Surely, visual storytelling would win every time? It doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With wine, technology now exists that opens up a world of\npossibilities for winemakers. If something is wrong, it can be corrected \u2013 and that\nis a good thing, depending of course on the definition of \u2018wrong\u2019. Stylistically,\nthe modern viticultural and winemaking toolkit opens up a host of possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those who choose to work traditionally, politely declining\nthe winemaking bag of tricks on offer, might seem to be disadvantaged. In\ntruth, they are making some of the most beautiful and compelling wines out\nthere, which speak articulately of their origins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, limited options really can be a spur to creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n