Stop Being a Perfectionist
Wabi-sabi photo with some friends in LA when I pressed the wrong (or right?) button.
Take it from me, being a perfectionist is just a lame excuse for not finishing things. It’s a self serving label that gives you an easy reason to say “it’s not done yet”. When really, you’re just afraid of being seen. But I get it. It hurts to realize your taste is greater than your talent. But your talent will never improve unless you’re willing to get uncomfortable and bare your mistakes to the world.
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
If you’re going to pull the weeds of perfectionism up from their roots, you’ll need try a few of things:
Rewire your brain so that it perceives flaws in a positive light, like the Japanese mindset of Wabi-sabi. It’s an appreciation and celebration of life’s little imperfections. Here’s a great little book.
Maintain a beginners mindset. Especially as you get good. Find the time and space for play. Experiment with novelty. Turn things inside-down and upside-out. Let it break. Don’t ever convince yourself that you’re done learning.
Ship, post, share, present, BEFORE it’s ready. Err on the side of too early, not too late. This is the hardest rule for me to follow, but it’s also the most helpful.
Ultimately, the thing to keep in mind is nobody cares unless it connects. No one takes the time to think about how much your art sucks. They will only think about your art if it happens to connect. So relax, odds are, no one cares. Just keep going until it connects. Then break it.
