Bouldering: Creativity through Limitation

I have experimented with various hobbies, from playing guitar to drawing, in the hopes of finding a way that I could explore my creative side. They have helped, and I still take part in some of those hobbies to this day, but I always come back to a wall full of grimy, colorful plastic rocks, which has been my sanctuary and creative outlet for the past ten years or so.

For those who have not yet explored the world of climbing, bouldering is a subcategory of rock climbing. Instead of wearing a harness and being attached to a rope, bouldering consists of smaller routes, known as "problems," which are much lower to the ground. One problem can be anywhere from two to ten moves, but you can get bigger ones as well. Bouldering is done in gyms or outdoors, and instead of being attached to a rope, you just fall on mats. The shorter nature of bouldering problems means that they often require a sequence of powerful, dynamic, or technical maneuvers.

I have often wondered why bouldering is the outlet for creativity that resonates most with me, as opposed to something like drawing or guitar playing. I recently came to the conclusion that the limitations are precisely what leads me to consider bouldering to be a creative outlet. Typically, there are only one or two ways to solve a given bouldering problem. Granted, there is some room for alteration, but the broad strokes are established and unchanging. The creativity comes in your ability to, well, solve the problem. You look at the problem in front of you, you visualize yourself on the wall, and you determine what is possible and what is not. After some attempts, you (hopefully) figure out the solution, and barring any physical limitations, you can complete the problem.

One might argue that creative tasks are supposed to be those that allow you to flourish and create whatever you would like. Bouldering, as per my description above, does not fit this description, and thus should not be considered a creative activity. But all creative tasks have their limitations. Musicians follow scales, modes, and keys. Painters use color schemes and palettes. Just as different disciplines have various degrees of limitations, different people have various degrees of inclination towards creativity. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I know that I feel overwhelmed when I hold a pencil to a blank sheet of paper, completely unsure of what to draw. Others might feel excited and eager to figure out what they will produce. Bouldering limits the playing field. It gives me a prompt, much like these Vocal challenges encourage me to write. I get the problem, and I get to create the solution.

What is the upshot of all this? Why do I consider bouldering to be my most important creative outlet, even though it's not even 'technically' a creative activity?

During the quarantine last year, my local bouldering gym was closed, and I was working overtime, all the time. I was burned out. Recently, as numbers started to improve, the gyms reopened, and I booked my first session in months. The relief upon entering the gym was astounding, and it made me realize why bouldering is so important to me. It's problem-solving; refined and distilled. At work, and in my daily life, I have to overcome problems, much like anyone else. Those problems seldom have a black-and-white solution. We can never know the butterfly effect of consequences and implications that will succeed our actions.

Not so with bouldering. The problem is in front of you, and you have the chance to solve a problem and know for a fact that you have overcome it. I have found this to be cathartic in my life, now more than ever. In a world that is ever more uncertain and unpredictable, a few hours a day in which I can solve my "problems" and get a nice workout in at the same time has proven to be essential as a healing process.