Episode 5 - From A to Z - Break the rules Baby!

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Groovy Creative. I’m James Price, a curious creative, a lifelong learner, a firm believer that the juiciest, most soul-sparking art happens when you stop asking for permission and start dancing to your own wild rhythm. This podcast is all about fueling creativity one conversation at a time.

Whether that conversation is with a fellow artist, your muse, or just that little voice that says, hey, what if we did it differently? All right, my groovy, rule-defying friends, welcome to episode B of our alphabet-inspired creative road trip. Whew, that was it. Last time in episode A, we talked about how art ain’t always pretty, about letting go of perfection and bracing the missy, the glorious chaos that comes with making something real. 

Today though, today we’re pulling out our metaphorical leather jacket, slapping some glitter on our boots, and spray painting no rules across the canvas of our minds. 

Welcome to B. Break the rules, baby. If you’ve ever felt suffocated by all the musts, shoulds, and that’s just how we’ve always done it nonsense, whether in your art, your creative practice, or just showing up in the world, This episode is your permission slip to bust out of that creative jail. Let’s be real. Rules aren’t all bad. We grow up with them for a reason. Don’t touch the hot stove. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don’t eat the glue, even if it does smell kinda good. And in art, rules serve a similar purpose. They help us begin. They give us a roadmap when we’re lost, training wheels when we’re wobbly, and the rule of thirds, perspective, grammar, composition, lighting, genre conventions, these rules can be really helpful, especially when we’re just starting out. 

But here’s the kicker, those same rules that once guided us, they can also start to box us in. Creativity isn’t about perfect technique, it’s about expression. And sometimes the rules become those invisible fences that keep us from chasing the wild ideas that want to run free. Let me take you back to early in my photography journey. I was obsessed with the rules of third. You know, the idea that if you place a subject along a certain imaginary line on the image, it will be more pleasing to the eye. And look, it’s a solid principle. It works. But I was treating it like it was a sacred scripture. Every shot lined up like a math problem. Horizon here. Subject there. Boom. Technically correct. 

But something weird happened. My photos got kind of boring. They were nice, but they weren’t alive. They didn’t move people. They didn’t move me. And then one day I was photographing this old abandoned house, the sky throwing a tantrum, storm clouds rolling in, all full of mood. And something in me snapped. I centered the house smack in the middle of the frame, tilted the camera just slightly, and clicked. 

The result? It had soul. It was raw and moody and off-kilter and all in the best way and in that moment I realised I wasn’t just breaking a rule, I was finding my groove. Some of the greatest artists in history have been rule breakers. You think about Picasso, the man could draw like a classical master at age fourteen but he didn’t stop there. He broke form, bent perspective, threw out realism, and gave us cubism. He learned the rules and then he danced flamingos all over them. Or the jazz greats, Miles Davis, Mr. Monk, Charlie Parker. Jazz isn’t about playing notes, it’s about breaking the pattern. They reimagined rhythm and harmony, they made wrong notes feel right. Or take punk rock. That whole movement was loud, scrappy, a middle-fingered letter to doing things your own way. Music, fashion, art. Punk was a revolution built entirely on the idea that rules were made to be broken. 

And we could go on. Frida Kahlo, Bjork, David Lynch, you name it. Every truly original voice in art had a moment. They were looking at the status quo and said, no thanks. So why is it so hard to let go of the rules? Well, they’re comfortable. They give us a sense of control and they make us feel safe. When you follow the recipe, you know how the cake will turn out. But creativity isn’t okay. It’s jazz. It’s improv. It’s mess and madness and a little bit of magic. And the truth is, if we follow the rules all the time, we might end up technically good, But we’ll miss out on what makes our voice sing. 

Here’s a little creative truth bomb. If what you’re making feels flat, repetitive, lifeless, It’s not because your talent is lacking, it might just be that the rules you’ve internalised are squashing your originality. Sometimes the bravest thing that you can do in your creative work is say, what if I didn’t do it that way? So let’s make this real. This week, I want you to break a rule. Choose one that you’ve been following out of habit. Maybe it’s always writing a full sentence, never mixing mediums in your artwork, using only one kind of light in your photography. Pick one. Break it. Do it on purpose. Don’t just tinker. Shatter it. And then pay attention to how it feels. Does it scare you a little? Good. That means you’re onto something. 

Let’s get even more real. Sometimes the rules we need to break aren’t about art technique. They’re about life. Like I should really have a job by now. I should be more productive. I’m too old for this and the one that I really hate. I’m not talented enough. Let me be clear, those aren’t rules, they’re lies dressed up in polite language. And the more that we let those shoulds run the show, the more our creativity suffocates. So burn them. Toss them to the mental bonfire and dance around it. 

You don’t need to earn the right to create. You just need to say yes to your own weird, wonderful voice. In a world obsessed with algorithms, optimizations, and doing things the right way, let this be your reminder. You are not a machine, you are not a brand, and you’re not here to colour inside the lines unless you want to. You’re an artist, a maker, a groovy human with something only you can bring to the table. Let your quirks be your compass, let your curiosity be your guide, and above all else, break some rules this week. 

Let me rapid fire a few more moments that might inspire you to rebel a little. Virginia Woolf. Writing that ignored traditional structure and helped redefine literature. Banksy, graffiti is social commentary and art world subversion. Jackson Pollock, drip painting, breaking all the rules of proper technique and starting a movement. Andy Warhol, elevating pop culture and commercial imagery into high art, blurring every boundary. Joni Mitchell, constantly evolving, genre hopping, breaking musical expectations. 

None of them asked permission, they just made it the thing, and the world changed a little because of it. 

All right, my rebels and renegades, that wraps up our deep dive into B. Break the rules, baby. I hope today lit a little fire in your belly or at the very least made you look sideways at one of your creative habits and think, maybe I don’t have to do it that way. And guess what? You don’t. 

Next time on the Groove Creator, we’re diving into C. Courage to create, kiddo. We’ll be talking about fear, vulnerability, and what it really takes to put your art And your heart out there to the world. Until then, keep daring, keep experimenting, and keep breaking rules. And as always, be creative, be you, and be groovy.

Listen to this Episode’s on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.