Andy Free's Blog - Posts Tagged "self-criticism"
Good Enough: Overcoming Perfectionism
I was raised by perfectionistic parents that were bitter about the opportunities they had missed. They harped constantly on "doing one's best at all times," and their definition of "best" was stratospheric. Anything I did or didn't do was met with instant judgement, often harsh. This was not a good recipe for developing self-confidence and the ability to put my work out for people to criticize.
But... life happens. When I came to realize how deadly perfectionism is to creativity - for it stifles the source, hinders the practice, and blocks sharing with others - I set out to find a better way.
Principle # 1 is that there is no such thing as a perfect story written by imperfect humans. Creativity is multifaceted and unique to each person. Jettison the idea of the single best possible creation - it doesn't exist.
Principle # 2 is that you can't please all the people all of the time, so even if there were such a thing as the perfect evocation of your story idea, a lot of people won't agree and will criticize it anyway.
Principle # 3 is "it is okay to be good enough." "Good enough" is that practical and achievable sweet spot where you get things done in reasonable amounts of time, with no obsession about how people will react, and with effective but not excessive self-criticism.
So am I there yet? Not quite. I rewrote my first book at least three times. However, I learned along the way to turn off the pointless, nagging parental voices and I am getting closer to where I want to be. And hey, for now, that is more than good enough!
Avalon: Companions
But... life happens. When I came to realize how deadly perfectionism is to creativity - for it stifles the source, hinders the practice, and blocks sharing with others - I set out to find a better way.
Principle # 1 is that there is no such thing as a perfect story written by imperfect humans. Creativity is multifaceted and unique to each person. Jettison the idea of the single best possible creation - it doesn't exist.
Principle # 2 is that you can't please all the people all of the time, so even if there were such a thing as the perfect evocation of your story idea, a lot of people won't agree and will criticize it anyway.
Principle # 3 is "it is okay to be good enough." "Good enough" is that practical and achievable sweet spot where you get things done in reasonable amounts of time, with no obsession about how people will react, and with effective but not excessive self-criticism.
So am I there yet? Not quite. I rewrote my first book at least three times. However, I learned along the way to turn off the pointless, nagging parental voices and I am getting closer to where I want to be. And hey, for now, that is more than good enough!
Avalon: Companions
