Hey Friends, it's Friday so I thought I would give you some #RealTalk in the form of a comic.
No matter how fun a project is, no matter how great the client or even how fat the paycheck is, the last 10% is the hardest for me, especially when it's a big project with lots of little details.
Those little details can be the difference between ok and great, so I do my best to push forward. There's points in the middle where I'll usually fall in and out of love with the work, flip-flopping between "this is awesome" and "this may be the worst thing I've ever done". When I don't like something I tinker with it, or, if tinkering gets me nowhere, I start over from the sketch.
When I create personal work, it's easy to abandon a challenging idea or project without ever seeing it to fruition. That luxury is not afforded to me when my paycheck depends on it! As I take on more work and different types of projects, knowing the final moments are the hardest steels my nerves while I'm in the thick of it. As a bonus, those personal projects seem less daunting and I am more likely to finish them.
I hope that whatever career or job you find yourself in, knowing that this struggle is universal provides some solidarity and encouragement. Talk to other creative people and ask them about their struggles, and be honest about your own. Watching another individual's creative process, warts and all, demonstrates the techniques that separate a rough draft and polished, final piece.
What project has Perfectionism kept you from finishing? This week, I encourage you to put the finishing touches on that blog post, comic, new recipe, script, painting, song, dance move, macrame hanging, or woodcarving. Share your process if you're feeling brave!