Are You a Perfectionist?

Why You Need to Get Over It Already

Are you a perfectionist? You know you’re not perfect. Not exactly a news flash, right? The majority of this planet’s population knows this on a cellular level. Imperfection is part of being human. So why do so many of us come down so hard on ourselves for less than perfect artwork?

Logically, an imperfect being cannot create a work of perfection. Think of this as though you were a cake pan. You’re an imperfect cake pan because you have a small dent in the side. That’s okay though. You can still make cakes, but each cake will reflect that dent. Now you’re probably thinking, “Then why should I even try?”

Are you a perfectionist? If perfection is unattainable, what’s the point? (Photo Credit: 123RF.com Copyright: Dean Drobot)

The answer to that is simple. We all have the capacity to improve. Think of it like gradually softening the dent in the side of that cake pan. The more we practice at our art, the more refined our work becomes, and the dent becomes less and less noticeable.

So how do we as artists get over it already? Here are four practical tips…

Remember…

Remember that nobody’s perfect and neither are you. And remember that even professionals had to start at the beginning, working their way up, just like you. And here’s a real kicker…remember that even seasoned professionals are never 100% happy with their work. Why? Because imperfection will always seek perfection.

Practice…

The P word…practice! The word nobody likes to hear but should. What I don’t understand is the self-critical artist who wants to be perfect but doesn’t want to practice. Well, guess what, Einstein? You’re not going to be an amazing artist just because you wish to be. It takes practice. LOTS of practice. As close to everyday practice as possible. You groan as if practicing art was a chore. But if you love art as much as you claim to and want to improve badly enough, you should be wanting to do it every day, not having the same feelings about it as when you think about cleaning the bathroom. And if you dream about making a career out of your artwork, practice is crucial.

Educate Yourself…

I can hear more groans about this one. But educating yourself doesn’t have to mean thousands of dollars in student loans. You may choose to go that route or not. If not, there are countless websites and YouTube videos you can access for free on just about any art subject. There are very inexpensive websites like CreativeLive or Skillshare that offer any number of how-to courses. Social media also makes it very easy to see what artists are doing and how they’re doing it.

Strive…

Forget about being perfect and strive for improvement. Instead of focusing on something unattainable like perfection, focus on being better today than you were yesterday. This means stop comparing yourself to other artists and start comparing yourself to the old you. Keep samples of your work even if you think it’s crappy. Compare it to similar work you do a month, three months, or even a year later. If you’ve been diligently doing your homework (i.e. the first three tips in this post), you should see a noticeable difference in your artwork, especially a year later.

To wrap things up, perfection is unattainable simply because you’re not. So honestly consider the question…are you a perfectionist? And if maybe some of the above rings true and stings a little…get real and join the rest of us humans. While perfection might seem like an impossible goal (it really is), a more reasonable and totally attainable goal is shooting for the best version of you possible. And now that I’ve taken that crippling burden of being perfect off of your shoulders, go put these tips into play and allow yourself the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them, create without judgement, and improve every day.