the power of limitation

Over Thanksgiving, I took my family to the Wood Type, Evolved exhibit at Columbia College. My intent was to share a part of my world with my parents and sister, who kept asking when we were going to the 'wood' exhibit. Luckily she wasn't too disappointed when we didn't learn about the difference between oak and cedar.

Letterpress type is a wonderfully distinct and organic style, which the exhibit displayed with good variety. One of my favorite featured artists was Brad Vetter, whose "This is Just the Beginning" poster is currently my computer background. 

A nice message from Brad was included about his experience working in a letterpress studio. The biggest take-away for me was the power of limits. Obviously working with letterpress has its constraints, but Brad wrote about the importance of challenging yourself through limitation. What may seem debilitating for some, inspires creativity and innovation for Brad.

Next time you start a project, think about ways to challenge yourself through limitation. There's no need to use all of the crayons in the box to create a masterpiece.

The exhibit ends December 10 so hurry up and check it out for yourself:

Columbia College Chicago
Center for Book & Paper Arts
1104 S. Wabash Avenue, Suite 200
Chicago, Illinois 60605