The perfection myth

I just finished reading Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull. I loved it! So interesting and inspiring.

One thing Ed said that really stuck with me (among many others) was when he talked about sharing your work with others. He said:

Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you share them with others. Show early and show often. It’ll be pretty when we get there, but it won’t be pretty along the way — and that’s as it should be.

That’s something I’ve always felt I’m terrible at. I tend to wait far too long before showing anything to the world. I guess I want it to be “perfect”.

But since perfection is really just a personal perspective, it’s kind of a silly mindset — especially if it’s something meant to be seen and used by others. Who am I to decide what “perfect” even is?

Of course, we should take pride in what we create. And maybe, even if it’s meant for more than just our eyes, it’s still most important that we think it’s perfect.

But honestly, I think that’s just an excuse I use to delay sharing things. Sugarcoated fear, maybe. Uncertainty dressed up as “you can’t rush creativity".

I want to get better at not waiting unnecessarily long before showing off my ideas and creations. I want to embrace the ugliness along the way and learn early from others.

One day, hopefully, I’ll be able to show early and show often. In some ways, this post is an example of that.