How to think outside the box?

Break the limits, search for answers that go beyond the usual. But what if we don't even see the box we're in? Know your limits, and allow yourself  to explore new horizons taking you beyond your own ideas

New York City, US - 2025

Invisible limits like our own habits, assumptions, or cultural norms can quietly restrict our creativity. When you're in an artistic community like tattooing, where expression, symbolism, and aesthetics become permanent, thinking differently isn't optional; it's essential.

Creativity works just like a muscle: training strengthens it, and constantly challenging it improves its agility. Here's how to work it out.

1. Break your routine: Step out of the studio. Explore new art styles, music, films. Even a walk through a gallery or look at architecture, can spark inspiring ideas for tattoos. When your thinking changes, your ideas expand.

2. Change your perspective: Imagine how someone from a totally different background or culture might see this idea—a collector from another city, a traveler from another country, or even a child. What would surprise them? This kind of shift helps you create tattoo designs that go beyond trends and feel deeply personal.

3. Challenge suppositions: Ask yourself, Why always tattoo on the forearm? Why stick to the same shading or symbolism? Question your “default settings.” Maybe that modern black and white tattoo would say more with a softness splash. Maybe the “rules” are just guidelines.

4. Brainstorm freely: Save all ideas without judging them (even the wild ones). Later, refine or combine them. Don’t censor yourself in the moment judgment comes later.

5. Collaborate or get feedback: Sometimes another artist or even a client will say something that flips your brain. Respect that spark. New voices keep your vision sharp.

“Thinking outside the box requires a box.”

— Michael Bahr

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Here are three exercises to train your mind and think beyond limits:

1. Get out of your comfort zone. Live and work in an environment different from where you grew up. Changing your field will change your perspective.

2. Explore the World. Travel outside your country and collaborate with people from other cultures. You'll discover there isn't just one "correct" way to live or think.

3. Learn a New Language Every language has a different way of seeing the world. You'll be surprised to find that for other cultures, thinking "backward" is simply natural and valid.

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CONCLUSION:

Thinking outside the box isn’t about ignoring rules , the true focus is to understand and challenge them with confidence. With practice, you'll start to see possibilities where others see barriers, and that's where you'll find true creativity.

So tell me: What are your limits right now… and how are you going to break them?

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Apz is a tattoo artist based in Manhattan, New York City, working at Noble Art Tattoo Shop, specializing in classic realism tattoos and modern black and white techniques. Inspired by Renaissance art, history, mythology, religions, Christian and Catholic themes, Buddhism, Islam, ancient Egypt, Greek and Roman history, astrology, and zodiac signs, realism art, black and white, black and grey, and micro realism tattoos. You can explore new tattoo designs and ideas at ApzTattoo.com/designs. Apz also tattoos in Dubai, UAE, and Copenhagen, Denmark.