Think Inside the Box
In a world where the possibilities are endless and it is quite easy to become paralyzed by infinity, it is beneficial to simplify and accomplish more. By applying the principles of De Stijl to your life you limit the possibilities and place yourself into a box. This forces you to use whatever limitations you have imposed upon yourself and by simplifying your options it then becomes easier to complete the task at hand. We all can’t apply the infinity of Leonardo da Vinci, but we can simplify and apply the genius of the De Stijl movement to our lives and capture our dreams.
“On the contrary, it should find its expression in the abstraction form and color, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary color.”-Piet Mondrian
What is De Stijl? De Stijl, or Neo-Plasticism was an early 20th century art movement that originated in the Netherlands in response to the limitlessness of the Modern Baroque movement. The philosophy of the De Stijl movement sought to reduce art to its most basic form by using straight lines, both horizontal and vertical, and by using only black, white, and primary colors. In so doing they have created a narrow guideline with which to use and by limiting themselves they are then forced to then use what they have at hand to create their art.
“I wish to approach truth as closely as possible, and therefore I abstract everything until I arrive at the fundamental quality of objects.”-Piet Mondrian
How can one apply the principles of De Stijl to our daily lives? There is a certain interconnectedness or nexus within each and everything that we wish to accomplish in life. From the mundanity and minutiae of our daily chores and requirements to the greatness of our hopes and dreams. By stripping everything down to their basic elements and limiting ourselves to the most basic tools to accomplish these things we then free ourselves from the chains of the infinite. With each and every goal that we seek to accomplish we must first ask ourselves “what are the minimum requirements to achieve the objective?”, and once we have established the baseline then we can begin to use those constraints to our advantage.
“The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.”- Piet Mondrian
How does this apply to writing? This being a place for writers to publish their works and ideas we are always in search of new things to inspire and motivate. Some have a muse, some pull their thoughts from the ether, and still, others are more research-based. Whatever your method, I contend that you can achieve more by imposing limitations on yourself, thus forcing yourself to think within the box. In a strange quirk, by limiting yourself you are then freeing yourself from the helplessness that is having too many options. Think of it as the artistic equivalent of endlessly scrolling through Netflix trying to find something to watch. Sure you find some things that look good but if you’re anything like me you’ll almost inevitably continue scrolling futilely. However, if you limit yourself by genre or otherwise before you search you then narrow your choices considerably and save time. Limit yourself to expand.
“It is a task of art to express clear vision of reality.”- Piet Mondrian
How can one apply De Stijl to problem-solving? Any problem that seems insurmountable can be better understood and subsequently solved by first stripping it to its essential truths. Which is essentially the first principles, the method put forth by Aristotle and recently made popular again by Elon Musk. When you come across a problem first strip it down to its basic components. Once you have done that then you will have a true understanding of what it takes to solve the problem. By limiting oneself to one component at a time and seeing how each then comes to work together then it becomes a good bit easier to solve the overall problem. Limit to increase.
Not everything in life can be explained in purely black and white terms, but by narrowing one's scope on any given problem or situation you can then find the disharmony that impedes the finding of a viable solution. The philosophy of De Stijl teaches us to simplify to solve.
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