I am an artist, because I have a need to create things.  Music, games, levels, Magic sets, blog posts, glowsticking videos, dance variations, =whatever=.

But I'm an engineer because I start from my restrictions, not from my goals, when I create.  I don't think about what I want to create first--I start from what I -can- create.

...okay, that's what I -wanted- to say, but I don't know if the "engineer" part is true.  I think it probably has more to do with being an ISFJ-type and valuing pragmatism and things that are concrete and practical, as well as having a really strong tendency towards sticking with the things that I already know.

As I'm designing my MtG set, I'm definitely seeing restriction as something that's super-useful when trying to be creative.  Limiting your options means limiting the design space that you're working in, and that makes things easier.  That's why the color pie is your best friend when designing a set.  Red has to have direct damage spells.  Green can't have fliers.  Black gets instant-speed removal.  If you already know all this, now all you have to do is figure out what you want your red direct damage to actually look like (can it fulfill one of the themes of your set?).