There’s a great bit in Seinfeld where Jerry gets overly excited about having drawn the perfect triangle. Then to his dismay, Elaine is terribly unimpressed. Anyone who has ever drawn a perfect shape can likely relate to Jerry’s enthusiasm. It’s exhilarating to feel as though you have done something “perfect”. However, perfection is an elusive and nebulous concept. Yes, of course, it’s a good and admirable trait to strive for great work. Although when one’s desire to achieve perfection encroaches upon perfectionism, it can be detrimental both to their work and mental health.

We Shouldn’t Expect Ourselves To Be Perfect

Many people struggle with perfectionism. Those who do are almost guaranteed to be aware of it and know the symptoms. If you’re unsure though, check out this article that outlines the different signs that you might be a perfectionist. While this personality trait may apply to persons across any and all areas of study or work, I feel it applies most insidiously to those in creative fields. Art can be somewhat oxymoronic in that one may be great at their craft, or even be considered the best in their discipline, but it’s nearly impossible to say someone or something is perfect due to the wholly subjective nature of art. This can foment a tendency to strive for perfection, even to expect it of yourself, while never quite being able to attain it.

In my own experience, perfectionism can be extremely detrimental to the creative process. It fosters both trepidation and anxiety while working, and a fear that the final product will inevitably be less than perfect. This can lead to an inability to start a new project or to finish an existing one. In more extreme circumstances, it can even lead to depression rooted in a feeling of “never being good enough”.

Perfectionism is much like any other form of anxiety in that it’s never as simple as telling yourself, “okay, don’t be anxious anymore”. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the negative impact of perfectionist thinking. Some of these may sound obvious, but occasionally it can help to be reminded of the obvious.

1. Don’t edit along the way

If you’re a writer who battles perfectionist, one of the simplest tips I can give is also one of the most common. Try to power through your first draft without stopping to edit yourself as you go. It’s important to get through the first draft and there’s always time to edit later.

Writer/Director Steven Soderbergh has even called the first draft his “muscle draft” because it takes so much elbow grease. This initial stage of a new project is typically the most difficult and grueling, so just get the ideas out. Worry about the nitty gritty later on. It can be easy to get hung up on perfecting a single sentence or finding the perfect synonym. While this is an understandable tendency, it’s often best to press onward so as not to disrupt “flow” while writing. You can always go back and edit, but you might not be able to get back that burst of inspiration which got you writing in the first place.

2. Remember: This is a project, not the project

This tip may not apply if what you’re working on is meant to be your magnum opus, but otherwise, it’s beneficial to keep in mind that you have worked on many projects before this one and will work on countless more after. There is no need for this one to be perfect because each subsequent project may be regarded as a learning lesson or stepping stone toward the next.

This tip harkens Leonardo da Vinci’s classic adage “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” While you should always try to do your best work and push yourself to excel, it can sometimes be better to put a project down rather than brood over it forever and frustrate yourself. Every project must be finished at some point and while finishing touches are a necessity, at a certain point it helps to simply get it done, get it out into the world, and move onto something new.

I would imagine that many, if not all of the greats would look back upon their earliest works and scoff at their imperfections. A great example rests in the world of filmmaking. A director’s first film as almost always less professional or polished than their second, fifth, or tenth. However, this would never be a reason to languish over the imperfections of the first film. Rather, the first film is a learning lesson in order to be better on subsequent projects.

3. Know that there can be beauty in imperfection

Last year I learned about the Zen Buddhist concept of ensō and quickly made it a symbol for my own creative process. If you’re unfamiliar, ensō is an art form that involves drawing or painting a circle in only one or two strokes. It symbolizes a process of allowing the body to act and create freely without overthinking.

Ensō circles can be drawn either closed or open. The former of which, shown above, represents perfection while the latter is closely tied with the Zen idea of wabi-sabi, or the beauty of imperfection. The circle does not have to be closed, complete, or perfect in order to be beautiful. I love to keep this idea in mind as I work. It helps me remain aware that sometimes, imperfection itself is what makes a work

I love what the ensō represents and how it may be applied not only to artistic work but to so many aspects of life in our competitive, goal-oriented, Western society. We as humans don’t have to be perfect (i.e. have the perfect body, job, or anything else) in order to be successful or beautiful. Our beauty lies in our imperfections. This idea can be echoed in our work. The things that might make your project “imperfect” are also the things that make it unique and you.

Where Does This Leave Us?

Like any other form of anxiety, depression, or other mental health traits, perfectionism doesn’t just go away because you want it to. It’s something to be constantly mindful of. It takes time and practice to grow out of the habit. Thankfully, the negative effects of perfectionism can be reduced when you take time to breathe, self-assess, realize this is just a project, that you can edit later, that there will be other projects in the future, and that there lies beauty in imperfection. We all want to be great. However, it doesn’t get you anywhere to beat yourself up for not meeting some arbitrary standard that you imposed upon yourself. Take every instance in which you haven’t lived up to your own expectations as a learning lesson and an opportunity to improve with the next project or assignment. The creative process is inherently founded upon progress and self-improvement. We can’t expect ourselves to be perfect right away, so don’t. My best advice is to enjoy the process itself, no matter how difficult and frustrating it may be sometimes.