Because of confusions and perceptions, I have a complex relationship with rules. It takes a special person and approach with me. Slowly. I am in a process of unlearning what harms me and learning what helps me.
In reading ‘The Creative Act: A Way of Being’, I am developing an attitude; a way of being. I have found it not only informs my art practice, but also my submissive, relational and life practice. (Because it’s all learning through play, right?!)
The chapter ‘Temporary Rules’ (pg 207) has been enlightening and I share the following quotes in the context of power exchange dynamics.
“A rule is a way of structuring awareness.”
Rick Rubin states that often “the artistic process involves ignoring rules, letting go of rules, undermining rules, and rooting out rules that we didn’t know we were following”. I understand this to be the rules that are not serving us well. He then goes on to say that, “there is a place for imposing rules”. It is important to note that he is talking about self-imposed (aka negotiated) rules.
“When there are no material, time, and budget constraints, you have unlimited options. When you accept limitations, your range of choices is reduced. Whether imposed by design or by necessity, it’s helpful to see limitations as opportunities.”
“Novel problems lead to original solutions.”
“The rules of baseball or basketball define the game and are rarely altered. Innovation exists only within those rules. As artists, we get to create a new set of rules each and every time we play.” (negotiations as ongoing) “After careful consideration, we may choose to break them in the midst of a project if a discovery impels us. While it’s easy to make these changes, there’s little use to rules if they are not taken seriously.”
“There are no bad rules or good rules. Only rules that fit the situation and serve the art, or those that don’t.” I just love that statement and it fits so perfectly with the framework of power exchange dynamics.
He goes on to discuss how rules can be imposed based on needs and growth … to “set parameters that force you out of your comfort zone”, because it’s ultimately about establishing intentional patterns of behaviour and/or removing unwanted behaviours.
Rules are invisible restraints that dictate where focus should be according to the intended outcome. That is discipline and control at it’s best 😈✨
