The 6 Rules of Shipping Label Art
How to trigger flow with self-imposed constraints
Shortly after emailing you last week, my Kickstarter campaign was funded! I sincerely thank you for getting my “Inner Demon” project to its goal. And there is still time to add your name on my list of loyal patrons. It would make my day.
Looking at my art, it might not be obvious that there are some strict constraints behind the scenes. Even less obvious is how these constraints are freeing and critical to allowing me to get into a flow state when I work. So that’s what I want to tell you about today…
I make art with shipping labels. That might sound like a gimmick, but it’s actually a process that I take very seriously. The process I’ve developed is constrained by strict rules for what I do and don’t allow myself to do.
So what do constraints look like? For me, there are six very constraining rules. Here they are:
The Six Rules of Shipping Label Art
The only material allowed is 4x6 shipping labels.
No brushes, pens, or pencils. In fact, try to touch the paper as little as possible.
No paint or ink. (All color must come from within the thermal label, itself.)
The only tools allowed are: alcohol, scissors, irons, spray bottle, pipettes, bubblewrap, and x-acto knives.
No glue. The adhesive from the label must be used to hold the collage together.
Final size is 4x6 with rounded corners, exactly the size of a shipping label.
How do you make an image with a shipping label if you can’t use ink or paint? The secret of shipping labels is that they are thermal paper, which means if they get hot enough, they turn black. So instead of drawing or painting, shipping labels art requires carefully combining heat and alcohol to extract tones from the paper.
The surprising thing about highly constrained processes is how much you can do with so little. You’d think you would be handcuffed by constraints, but it actually frees you. You aren’t blocked by all the distracting tiny decisions that cause you to freeze up in front of a blank canvas. You are able to focus on what’s happening in front of you and respond in the moment. That’s why highly constrained processes might be the quickest ways to put yourself in a flow state. Constraints get you out of your rational head and into your intuition-driven working mind.
Limiting yourself lets you lean in to the benefits of your limited options. For example, the sticky side of a shipping label is an easily overlooked benefit. Compared to traditional collage techniques where you have to wet the paper and smear glue across everything, having a clean built-in way of assembling the pieces is a huge advantage. It adds speed, flexibility, and reduces commitment anxiety – important ingredients for staying in the flow state.
Many of us spend a lot of time behind a computer screen. The pressure to create is crippling. Like a blank canvas, the blinking cursor teases us with infinite possibilities. It seems like unlimited options should make it easier to make things. But they don’t. In fact it’s the opposite because when you can do anything, it’s hard to even get started. You don’t know which direction to go. The unintuitive reality is that the more constraints we have, the more likely we are to get started, find flow, avoid stalls, and know when we are done. Constraints = Freedom.
It’s hard to imagine shipping label art disrupting traditional techniques. But if you are struggling to find flow, or find yourself blocked by blank canvases, give it a try. Or find your own set of rules that drastically reduce your options. My advice when choosing constraints is that they should feel a bit ridiculous. If they aren’t uncomfortable at first, then they aren’t constraints.
If this advice was helpful, support me by backing my “Inner Demon” project on Kickstarter. When my art arrives, put it somewhere where it can remind you of the creative freedom that constraints deliver. Stay Creative.
Your friend,
Ade
