For as long as I can remember, I have always struggled to make progress with my creative goals. It didn’t matter how simple or complex the goal was, it was difficult for me to be consistent and disciplined to reach it. Hustle culture made me think that I was lazy or unmotivated, which made this even more confusing. I remember thinking, how can someone who is so ambitious struggle to do simple tasks to reach a goal? In education or the workplace, I am able to achieve high, yet when it comes to my own personal goals, I let myself down. In hindsight, the framework in which I went about everything was so narrow and rigid–like a robot. It didn’t leave any room for the HUMAN me.
Changing my relationship with perfectionism has been a game-changer and a big piece of the puzzle in achieving my goals! These 5 realizations are helping me get through those creative blocks when I am in the middle of a project and overcome perfectionism once and for all.
1. Realize that your favorite works of art are not perfect, and that is what you love most about them.
I was watching an episode of The Sip with Ryland Adams and Lizzie Gordon, a podcast that features pop culture, hot topics, and celebrity gossip. I was dying laughing at a personal story that the co-host Lizzie was sharing when it hit me. I have been watching this podcast every week for months. I had watched it while I was eating or working out, when I was happy, sad, mad, and everything in between. This podcast had been there, like friends. The parasocial relationship. I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t even sure if I liked Lizzie at first! And all of a sudden I realized I LIKED HER; I adored Lizzie! I got to know the heart behind the strong personality.
Over time, I had gotten to know both of these characters through the stories they told, by seeing them in different contexts on other Youtube channels. Do they sometimes use the wrong intro or adjust camera angles while they are rolling? Yes. Does Ryland yell at Lizzie for not having finished the hot topics list that she was supposed to have done beforehand for the show? You betcha. Is this podcast perfect? Absolutely not. Is it perfect for me? Absolutely! I was watching to watch THEM and their chemistry as friends, being themselves. I did not care what they did or how well it was produced. Ryland even jokes about how great the podcast would be if he actually put 40 hours a week into it.
In this small way, I was able to see how letting go of the tiny things that don’t matter make it human and better. I was able to see the flaws in my own logic and how I judge others to a completely different perfectionism scale. There is a human being behind every work of art who is sacrificing perfectionism in order to get their work out there, they just have a better relationship to it than we do.
2. Realize that you have to get better at being decisive as a creative.
I often find myself jumping from project to project. This started from having a lot of hobbies and interests growing up but transitioned into the workplace where I would take on a lot of different tasks and wear many hats. I realized this is a habit I do when I get stuck or overwhelmed from a lack of prioritizing. When I’m stuck, I attempt to move onto something that is easier and less time consuming where I can feel a sense of accomplishment once complete (a.k.a. my favorite feeling ever). When I’m overwhelmed it's because I’ve taken on too much and haven’t organized my day very well. Being decisive is so important when a creative is planning their day because it bleeds into every aspect of creativity as well.
Indecisiveness happens to me a lot when I’m video editing. I have a vision in my head but don’t always know how to execute it. I don’t want to cut and remove a certain piece of footage from the timeline because, ‘what if I need this clip later’ or ‘this video sucks anyway’ thoughts of doubt creep in. I’ve found that it helps when I become aware of these thoughts and defy them by making a decision and moving on. I’m not saying this is easy, oftentimes I feel like I’m picking between which piece of footage sucks less, but hey at least I’m making progress and not wasting hours in front of a screen where my brain feels like it’s melting–which has happened way too many times to count. My point is, be assertive and force yourself to make creative decisions. In most cases, you can always go back if you need to anyway.
We avoid making creative decisions because it can be overwhelming and deep down we don’t want to have to face how good or bad our work is, but when we make those decisions and complete a project all the way through we are building confidence and learning how to make the next thing we create even better.
3. Realize that to get to the people that will love what you create, you have to get through everyone that won’t like it.
We’ve all heard a version of this sentiment before, such as 'be yourself, you will be judged either way' etc. This old version states the fear of being judged, but doesn’t convey the true depth in the reward of being yourself. What I love about the new version is that it’s empowering and tells you the reward: reaching the people who will love what you create! Which is what being creative is all about! This small shift in perspective gave me clarity, as sharing what you create is now a choice between courage and fear, with a reason, cost and outcome.
It helped me realize that all my favorite artists had to put themselves out there like this and push past everyone who didn’t like them (and still do!). Think about how you found your favorite musician, for example. Was it through a friend? Social media? Now think about what they had to do to find you. They had to be loud and bold, consistent over time, loved and hated, to make themselves known, all to find a true fan like you.
All great art MUST have people who do not like it, or else it doesn’t have a unique perspective. It is only when people do not like it, that you know you have a point of view. So this is your friendly reminder to create for yourself; find comfort in the fact that your art is not for the people who will be judging it!
4. Realize that if you don’t just get something out there, you physically and mentally can’t move on to create something that you know you are capable of inside.
This one is all about hitting the upload button anyway. Even when you know it’s not your best work, even when you can anticipate every critique and judgment. Let it go and be proud. You have created a version of perfect, it is as perfect as you could have made it! It is perfect because you were decisive and created the best you could out of those decisions you made; it is perfect because you got all the way to the end and completed something which is no easy feat. It is perfect because it is imperfect and now that you have shared it with the world, other people can connect to it so much better.
Sharing your work will reaffirm that you are not restricting or limiting yourself and build your confidence as an artist. This will free you up in every way to create your next best work of art and start creating at the level that you know you are capable of inside!
I've found myself asking questions like, what does 'done' look like to me? What does 'perfect' look like to me? Before, I thought I knew the answers to these questions, but when I really started to sit down and ask myself, I realized that it was all just daydreams and fantasies that I could never put into tangible words. No wonder I could never complete a project! Now, done and perfect for me look more like completing a project and having the courage to put it out there.
5. Realize the bigger reason or purpose for doing something, that suddenly makes all the details not matter as much.
Reflect often, whatever this process looks like for you, whether it is journaling, meditation, walking, or sitting on a porch having coffee. You may find that you already know the answers to these existential questions when you just make the time to slow down and ask yourself. When you find the bigger picture, it becomes a north star and provides the perspective in which to align everything in your life, the details will feel less important one day.
How to let go of perfectionism.
I think when we recognize that we are over identifying with this part of ourselves and see how much it is holding us back, we can start to let go and enjoy the process of creativity a bit more. If any of these realizations resonated with you, just know that with a little time, self awareness and daily effort we can overcome perfectionism!
☀️ Jaz