The Creativity of Constraints
A hands-on creativity workshop that uses constraints to help people see, think and make differently. No creative experience needed.
Most of us believe we’d be more creative with more time, more freedom and fewer rules. Then someone hands us a blank page… and we freeze
The session at a glance
A few hours. One rule at a time. A room full of ideas nobody expected.
Length
Two to three hours, or as part of a full day
Group
6 to 25 people
Where
In person, all materials included, or remote with just pen and paper
Who
Teams, leadership groups, learning programmes, and individuals at public sessions
Experience
None needed. That's rather the point.
Led by
Helen Callaghan, Helen Lisowski and Rob Lambert
What happens in the room
Each challenge gives everyone the same short brief and one constraint: a few minutes on the clock, a handful of materials, or a strict rule about what's allowed. People work on their own first, then compare. Sharing is invited, not required.
The surprise comes when the work goes up on the wall. Same brief, same rule, and a room full of completely different answers.
We finish by looking at what happened: how the limit changed the way people looked, what they noticed, and what they made.
What people leave with
- Proof, on the table in front of them, that they can think creatively
- A different relationship with limits: something to work with, not around
- Simple ways to use a constraint on purpose when they're stuck
- A new respect for how differently the people around them think
Why it matters at work
This isn't a course about work. But the skills it builds are exactly the ones work needs: noticing more, thinking past the first idea, and making something good with what you've got. Every team works within limits. A team that has learned to treat them as material, rather than obstacles, sees more options and gets moving sooner.
Who runs it
Three of us run the session together.
Helen Callaghan is a Sunday Times bestselling novelist. Every book is a long run of constraints, so few people know more about working within them. Her eye for what makes an idea work runs all through the day, especially in the feedback. It's a creativity session rather than a writing masterclass, though, so it isn't the place to pick her brain about your novel. Her books are.
Helen Lisowski is an organisational development specialist. She helps the group connect what happens in the room to how they work together afterwards.
Rob Lambert is a writer, teacher and photographer, and was formerly VP of Engineering and VP of HR. He takes most of his photographs on a camera with one fixed lens, and calls it the most useful limit he owns.
Public sessions
Want to come along yourself?
Public sessions are small and run a few times a year. Join the list and you'll hear about the next date before anyone else.
Questions people ask
Do I need to be creative?
No. Most people arrive saying they're not the creative type. Most leave having changed their mind.
Is it a writing or storytelling workshop?
No. It's about using constraints to see, think and make differently. Helen Callaghan's experience as a novelist shapes the feedback and the day, but it isn't a writing class.
Can it run remotely?
Yes. Everyone needs a pen, some paper and a connection.
When are the public sessions?
A few times a year. Join the list below and you'll hear about the next date first.
Bring it to your team, or come along yourself.
For a private session, we'll start with a 20-minute call about your group. For a public session, I'll tell you when the next one is via the Meeting Notes newsletter.
Or email info@cultivatednotes.com. I usually reply within 24 hours.
For whoever holds the budget
The Creativity of Constraints is a two to three hour hands-on session where our team tackles short, timed creative challenges, each with one constraint. It shows people they're more creative than they think, and gives them simple ways to use limits on purpose. No creative experience needed. It's run by Sunday Times bestselling novelist Helen Callaghan, organisational development specialist Helen Lisowski, and Rob Lambert, writer and teacher, former VP of Engineering and VP of HR. Up to 25 people, in person or remote.