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How Subtractive Creativity Can Save Your Creative Life (And Sanity)

How to stop following, start subtracting, and stop confusing movement with progress

‘negative space’ — Author’s image

Most creative advice pushes for more.

• More data
• More likes
• More effort
• More hustle
• More tactics
• More complexity

Yet, lasting, durable creativity is often not about adding more, especially tactics, strategies, methods, etc. A powerful and counter-intuitive approach engages subtracting — sometimes, everything non-essential.

The Art of “Subtractive Creativity”

This isn’t about doing less for the sake of it. It’s about removing what doesn’t matter (which is a lot) so you can focus on what does.

It’s systems thinking, not surface-level hacks. It’s simplification as a strategy, not as a productivity stunt.

You can see systems more clearly when you subtract noise, fluff, and unnecessary steps — like stripping paint or bark off wood, to understand what you’re working with underneath.