Perfectionism: the perfect path to creative blocks
There is always that small flaw that only you see. There is always that tiny glitch that everyone assumes originates on their end, but that you know that it was something you didn't deal with properly before launch. There is always that sentence that is way too long to be in the middle of that paragraph on that specific chapter. There is always the possibility of overusing the repetition technique for emphasis in a blog post.
What I am saying is that we make mistakes. We strive for perfection, but there always seems to be a bump on the road that keeps us from getting there.
Does this seem too trivial? Perhaps. Nonetheless, have you ever thought how many artists (no matter what their field is) may be keeping their work under wraps, away from anyone, preventing it from being seen/enjoyed/experienced just because it isn't "perfect"?
Perfectionism taken to the extreme can be a debilitating trait. Instead of making you work harder and harder to make something to the best of your abilities and leaving you comforted that it is indeed your best (at least at that precise moment), it can lead to a creative block.
More than the dreaded white canvas, the pressure of getting it all the way to pure perfection will stop you from doing anything at all. So embrace mistakes. Welcome the unwanted streak of color that fell right when you were finishing up your illustration. Appreciate the fact that you know you can draw it/ write it/ record it better next time. But if you don't start, there is no way you can improve "next time".
I'm not saying to mess up your work for a client, I'm just trying to state that you have to own your mistakes with the certainty that they won't be there next time. But only because you made them now!
Have you ever encounter yourself at the "it must be perfect or I won't do it" crossroad?
Any epic fail that proved to be actually helpful?
Share your stories in the comments or on our social media pages (FB, Twitter even Pinterest,...)!
S.G.
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