Out of Bounds Creativity

Corporate America has practically worn out the phrase "thinking  outside the box". It has become so cliche it has almost become its own paradox. Aside from the fact that those who use this phrase usually have a very tiny box they like to think inside they seldom stray very far from that box in their "creative" thinking. 

But I know artists and writers and others who truly do defy convention in their perspectives. Unfortunately finding a market for those things they create can be a struggle.

How do you market science fiction that focuses on sexuality and genetics, customs and strong female characters? So many critics are very uncomfortable with my friend's writing, but her message is important and well thought out. Her plots and characters work well. But she has gone out of bounds and people keep telling her to come back inside the box. 

I know jewelry and clothing makers who specialize in "adult" items (sexually stimulating, or sexually graphic) and they end up marketing to a very deep underground market, because they are too far outside those narrow and confining boundaries. The reality though is that there is a market for these things and often a very big market. Just have to find your way into this market, if you want to.

Did you ever wonder who decides a nude portrait was sensual or sexual? Is it erotica or pornographic? Whose penis gets to make that decision? 

The boundaries are not just about sex, there are other things that make us uncomfortable. Death, hunting, birth, anything that might fall under the heading of ugly by conventional definitions. Did you ever notice how the witch has warts and moles along with the nasty personality? Guess what? Real people have moles and warts and odd tufts of hair and strange bald patches and wrinkles.

Sometimes thinking outside the box is just saying no to the conventions the bind our thinking and feeling and reactions to one another.