How Vine Showed the Power Of Artistic Constraint
Just 6 seconds to change the world.
Vine was a video platform that was launched in 2013. The basic schtick was users could upload 6 seconds of any video of their choice to the platform. Vine became a pioneer in the short video format and led to the formation of famous internet stars such as King Bach, Lele Pons, Logan, and Jake Paul. At first glance, 6 seconds seem small for our current internet age but Vine started something unique due to a particular life or artistic principle.
Vines as they were called created a template that is still used by current platforms e.g.Instagram, Youtube Shorts etc. This was mostly utilized by pranksters, comedians, etc. to highlight funny scenarios, create scripted moments, etc. It was also used by brands to make quick overviews of their products in very unique ways.
VIne leveraged a key principle which is the principle of constraint. Constraints in the modern world seem quaint in the age of plenty and multiple choices but it is still a key component for achieving certain tasks and aspirations. Constraint means there are limits to what you can do which leads to inward innovation on how to use the tools and environment you currently have to create and achieve things you want to see.
Vines as they were called became part of the cultural zeitgeist through its creativity and its unique creators.
This looks contradictory in our modern age. The reason we made progress in our times was to have more choices, options, etc. but sometimes multiple choices can be a trap. You can spend so much time trying to figure out what you need to use that you lose sight of what needed to be created in the first place. The Paradox Of Choice by Barry Schwartz sheds a little more light on this. This can lead to people being trapped by their multiple options, leading to low productivity and creativity.
Constraints are things that can be integrated into our daily lives easily. It could be a timer to perform certain work or it could be a scenario such as the deadline to submit a piece of work is on the 26th but you are aiming to have it done by the 20th. This plays on the phenomenon that work expands to the time you attach to it. This is a valuable constraint. It could also be applied to tools, life choices, etc. Low-key Minimalism so to speak.
Also, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have multiple choices modern life has to offer but a warning that they could trap us in ways that may be dire to our personal and work life.
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