Perfectionism is one of the single biggest dangers people face when creating original work.
It comes from our ego demanding unrealistic expectations and heavily criticising what we are actually capable of.
When we place high value on the work that we have to do (“it has to be the best song ever” or “I need this to be good so I can pay my bills” or “I have to create something that will be loved & remembered for generations”) we ultimately limit our creative abilities due to extreme precision, stress and narrow viewpoint.
Even worse — It can slowly destroy your confidence in yourself.
None of those lend themselves to creating great work fast — Look at the long awaited (15 years!) and poorly received “Chinese Democracy” by Guns N’ Roses. The perfectionism of frontman Axl Rose cost the music industry $13 million!
It can even hit you so hard you don’t produce anything at all.
Perfectionism is the voice in your head that tells you “It’ll never be good enough.” Once your confidence falls, so does your musical abilities
Some easy ways to get over this are:
Address your perfectionism in your art
Intentionally create sloppy, unusual and messy work — the best cure for writer's block is to write “gah! I have writers block!” and continue writing.
Leaving your “perfectionism” project to start and complete a simple one.
Getting feedback, reviews and constructive criticism
Remember that all art is subjective — You can’t please everybody.
Work with a new teacher, tutor or mentor to learn new material, rehearse and develop past your existing limitations
Get out of your own headspace and do something new.
Make the commitment to overcome perfectionism and keep moving forward.
“If you’re embarrassed by something, it means you spent too long on it” — Brian Rose of London Real