It hit me like a ton of bricks. My obsession with boundless freedom wasn’t helping me create great work—it was holding me back.

I remember one project early in my career where the client told me, “Do whatever you want.” At first, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. No rules? No boundaries? Perfect. But instead of diving into the work, I froze. Every idea felt vague, disconnected, and overwhelming. The possibilities were endless—and that was the problem.

With time and experience, I realized that having too much freedom wasn’t a blessing. It was a curse. When there were no rules, no guidelines, no constraints, I didn’t know where to start—or where to stop.

That’s when I started to see limitations differently.

Limitations aren’t the enemy. They’re an ally.

When you embrace limitations, they give your work direction. They challenge you to dig deeper, think differently, and solve problems in ways you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

For example, tight deadlines force you to focus. Limited budgets push you to innovate. Strict client requirements make you approach the work from angles you might have ignored if the path was wide open.

Limitations don’t stop you from being creative—they make your creativity sharper.

I think about it like this: limitations are the edges of a canvas. Without them, your creativity spills everywhere, shapeless and directionless. But with them, you’re forced to make bold, deliberate choices that give your work structure and meaning.

Now, I welcome limitations. Every time I encounter them, I see them as an opportunity to do my best work.

What about you? What’s your relationship with limitations? Are they holding you back—or are they secretly helping you create your best work?