By Theresa Witham
Phil Hansen was attending art school when he developed a shake in his hand that affected his ability to make the kind of art he wanted to make.
He left art for a few years but was drawn back to it and decided to see a neurologist about his shake. Unfortunately, the doctor told Hansen that the damage was permanent and asked: Why not just embrace the shake?
And so he did. Hear his story in his own words in this TED talk. What he learned was that his limitation, the shake, was an incredible driver of creativity. He was so struck by this that he decided to limit himself in other ways, for example by limiting his materials or his budget.
At this point in the video, I started thinking about credit union marketers. Few credit unions have unlimited, or even very large, marketing budgets. Yet each year, you blow me away with the clever, fun, beautiful, eye-catching and successful campaigns that you submit to the CUES Golden Mirror Awards. In fact, the GMA Golden Shoestring award (so named to honor successful campaigns done on a tiny budget) showcases some of the most creative work. Check out what last year’s CUES GMA Golden Shoestring winner Orion Federal Credit Union, Memphis, was able to accomplish with just $179. $179!
I was also reminded of one of my favorite TV shows, Project Runway. Each season, the show has at least one “unconventional materials” challenge where the designers need to create clothing with items found in a candy shop, or a flower market or a hardware store. These garments are often some of the most creative of the entire season. In fact during challenges with fewer limitations, many of the designers struggle because limitations help them focus.
Limitations drive creativity. Wouldn’t it be fun for your marketing department to experiment with Project Runway-type challenges? OK, you probably can’t send out postcards made from candy. But what if you challenged yourself with a miniscule budget? Or a teeny word limit? Or used only words, no images? Or timed yourself to see how many ideas you generate in five minutes? The possibilities on limitation sets are, well, unlimited!
How do you use limitations to be more creative? Share your ideas in the comments!
Theresa Witham is a CUES senior editor.
We are accepting entries for the 2014 CUES Golden Mirror Awards now through April 21!
