Your need to be perfect is killing your craft. I know because perfectionism has stopped me in my life and my work for years.
I would be in a bad mood when I would go out, if my nail color was coming off or if my shoes didn’t match my purse. Can you relate?
I took so much pressure to paint the perfect illustrations when I was studying fashion. I had a panic attack the morning of my final portfolio submission because my portfolio wasn’t finished.
Why was that? Because I had spent too long trying to make each and every illustration perfect. And that left no time to actually put together everything I had been working on for months!
When I decided to make a living out of traditional painting and art gallery owners and curators remarked that my art was ‘unconventional’ and ‘my figures were not in proportion. I took it so seriously that I left painting all together and decided not to pick up a brush for 2 years.
I eventually came to my senses.
I realized creativity is birthed from imperfection.
I realized I was only trying to be perfect because I was attaching my self-worth to my work and life.
I unconsciously thought that if I wasn’t perfect, I wasn’t worthy of love, attention, money, etc.
So I started to make some simple mindset changes and I continue to do so.
- If somebody needed a perfect, realist painting, they could just get a photograph or buy a painting from someone else who actually was a realist painter.
- When I set down to paint, I would focus on painting how I wanted to and not try to copy the reference. Sometimes I don’t use references.
- My website is a constant work in progress. I set aside time once a month to update any things I don’t like or I hire it out.
- Now as a podcaster, I don’t spend time editing each and every unnecessary sound from the podcast. Sometimes I don’t even plan out my podcast episodes.
Ever since I learned to catch my perfectionist self & calm her down, my art, writing & confidence to show up has improved ten-folds!
It has taken me time but now I accept wholeheartedly and with pride that
- My portraits & figures have proportions that are out of order
- I don’t even know the different types of poetry. I never took a literature course!
- I have puffy eyes, vampire teeth, facial hair that I’m too lazy to remove & I stutter when I speak
Tell me & journal on this..
Why does your website, blog, instagram, photos, lives, have to be perfect to be shared with the world?
Why do you sit down to paint or write something perfect?
Why do you have that need to be perfect? What are you trying to prove? And to whom?
If this resonates with you, I’d like to invite you to my free workshop + art circle where I will talk more about this and we will write and make imperfect art together.
You can stay connected with me and other creative entrepreneurs struggling with perfectionism inside my free FB community.