Choose Progress over Perfection

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choose progress over perfection

Sometimes we can’t let go.

We revise, we edit, we touch-up, and we never feel that it’s finished.

Maybe we like to think of ourselves as perfectionists, or maybe we’re afraid to finish because then we would have to admit that it’s the best we could do.

Once again we’ve fallen short of our original vision. Our skills weren’t up to the task and the doubts start creeping in, what if this is as good as it gets?

What if this is really the best we can do?

What we need, however, is simply a change in perspective.

Instead of seeing what we create as our final destination, maybe we should see it as a just another mile marker along our creative journey.

When we choose to focus our attention on progress over perfection, we begin to see each finished work as one more step in our evolution as a creative artist.

One of my favorite quotes about this is from David Bayles who said, “The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.”

In other words if we look closely, we can begin to see that every project has its lessons to teach us. We can only learn them, however, if we are willing to let go and start again.



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