Perfectionist

Here's another topic from The Artist's Way.
Today's discussion is about perfection!

First of all, always try your best. That's how you improve and become magnificent.


But perfectionism can be harmful.
If you're working on a project, and you're stuck trying to make one part of it perfect, then you're still stuck.
You'll remain at that same place, instead of moving forward. You won't finish anything, and you won't improve.
Perfectionism is a never-ending loop, where you focus on the details and don't think about the work as a whole.
And you're never satisfied with your work. It doesn't have to do with humility. It's the feeling that nothing you do will ever be good enough. And that is a very destructive feeling.

In writing, a perfectionist will rewrite one scene over and over and over, and never finish the whole story.
They want their first draft to be their final draft.
First drafts are supposed to be bad. Let them suck. It's a great way to see the bigger picture of what you're working on, without any grand expectations.
Your later drafts are where you start to iron out all the odd parts.
Let yourself come back to your work later, after you know what the whole might look like. After you have some distance from the problem, and some feedback from friends or artists.

By the way, being a perfectionist may not necessarily be about making your work perfect. It may be a way to keep yourself from moving forward, either consciously, of subconsciously. Hey, it can be scary to change sometimes, even if it's a positive change.

Remember, art is never really finished. It's just put down at some point, and sent on its way.