Artists live on islands: limitations as a creative ritual

The purpose of this research is to show how implementing limitations as a creative ritual may lead to a more optimal artmaking experience. Research has shown that creating parameters within a challenging activity increases an individual's concentration to the point that work seems effortless, and the individual experiences a state of flow. There are many psychophysiological rewards to this state of deep concentration that may encourage an individual to re-engage in the pursuit, despite its rigorous challenge. The most powerful motivating reward of flow is self-fulfillment. It is my intent to offer the dance field new insight into how limits may enliven the creative process of making our choreographic and filmic work. I draw from my own experience of applying boundaries to dance in the studio and on set. The limits are sometimes geographic and other times psychological. Some involve a cast of dancers, while others involve only me. By recognizing that parameters lead to flow, and that flow leads to enjoyment, it seems crucial to our dance companies, education systems and personal practices to discover how to harness the freedom of limitations.