Creativity Through Limitations

I love what Jennifer from Life From the Roof says in her guest post at Money Saving Mom.

She says, "It’s easy at times to feel like we’re limited or lacking in our ability to “live” because we have less money, but I’ve observed over time, in my own life as well as in the lives of others, that often we are at our most creative when we are provided with limitations and boundaries. As T.S. Eliot once wrote:

“When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl.”"


This resonates so much with me! I am at my most creative when I have limitations. And I feel like even though our country appears to be having a financial crisis, maybe it's a blessing. For those whose homes are in foreclosure or have lost their jobs, I feel great compassion and I'm saddened by their situations. But I do wonder if this time of "crisis" could lead us to a much needed perspective shift on money and on material items as a whole. I guess getting us to really evaluate our "needs" versus our "wants". And forcing us to be creative with our money, resources and our material items. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that already do this, but I'm not one of them.