Perfection Can Be a Health Hazard

I discovered years ago that I suffered from this ailment many refer to as perfectionism. But at the same time I also discovered that while I was focusing on getting each project absolutely perfect, every other area of my life kind of suffered as a result.

I have been a musician for many years and spent many hours in a studio environment producing my own songs. The problem I suffered in the early days was this need for perfection in my music lead me to smoking a packet of cigarettes and drinking about 10 cups of coffee throughout a day’s session. On top of this I was hardly eating anything.

The worst part was though; I was very much unaware of what I was doing. I was in the zone, absolutely focused on one thing and one thing only.

My cousin visited me during a recording session one day and remarked, “This isn’t as much of a creative room as it is a killing room”.

Of course he was referring to the ashtrays of cigarette butts and empty coffee cups we left around the studio.

Additionally, I simply never had any time for anyone or anything else outside of my working environment because I had to keep working to get it right.

Get The Job Done Properly

I believe that with anything you do that is worth doing you have to work to get the job done properly. In other words, I don’t cut corners, don’t make excuses and I ensure that I get done what I set out to get done with an adventurous attitude.

But as for fighting for perfection, well… I really try hard to avoid getting caught up that mindset these days.

I discovered that behind my need for perfection actually stood a big fear that I was not really consciously aware of at the time. In other words, I was fighting for perfection based on a preconceived public expectation. Of course, there was no public expectation at all. But my mind was working in accordance to this “preconceived” expectation.

The problem with seeking perfection is that the harder you work to attain it, the further you move away from your real objective.

The best thing you can do is to really work hard at what you do. Be the best that you can be, but do it with a passionate mindset rather than a perfectionist mindset.

The new “perfect” is doing what you do with absolute passion and doing it consistently.

I make mistakes. In fact I think I have made more mistakes than anyone I know. But you can’t really hear the colour in a note if you are not allowed to make mistakes.

There is so much fun in striving towards discovery instead of perfection, so try to avoid looking for the perfect ending because it doesn’t really exist. Work hard at being yourself instead of working hard for perfection. It will show on the canvas too.

If you wait to reach the perfect moment you’ll never really get much done anyway.

The idea is to work as hard as you can and do the best that you can (challenge yourself) and chances are you’ll naturally get so close to being perfect that people wont be able to tell the difference (wink).

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An Artists Adventure

I have always believed you need to incorporate a sense of adventure when creating art. I discovered right from the beginning; if you don’t adapt some adventure to your work, you can often get caught up with all sorts of obstacles like doubt, frustration and procrastination.

An artist should be adventurous in order to discover new concepts – to discover new ground.

I know from my own experience, when I adapt the right attitude and look at each painting as a new adventure, I experience that “flow” and get a lot of work done.

When you adapt an adventurous attitude to your work, you quickly discover some really great ideas pop up, and you can quickly incorporate them without hesitation.

If you really want to discover your “best” then get adventurous. You will discover things about yourself as an artist that you didn’t think you were capable of.

Dare yourself to break some new ground. Forget trying to “get competent” as an artist. Why not “get challenged” instead. Say “goodbye” to preconceptions for a little while and work with an open mind.

In other words, learn to trust your own instincts; that way you’ll begin to develop your “working flow”.

Do everything you can with regard to being adventurous to genuinely “amuse yourself” while you work.

Are you going to make mistakes? Well yeah, I can pretty much guarantee that you will. But that is where the whole concept of “gaining experience” comes into the game of being an artist.

When you hear someone looking at your art say, “Hey, this looks like you had a lot of fun putting it together” or something along those lines; you know that you are on the right track. I mention this point because these are the very types or remarks I receive quite a lot from people viewing and buying my art.

I once smartly remarked, “Thankyou, I appreciate your comments – and yes, I do know how to entertain myself (wink)“.

An artist needs to get inquisitive about what they are doing, or at least what they are trying to do. It’s kind of like being a kid again. A child has this genuine wonder about almost everything. They are free from cynicism, opinion, “the known” and preconceptions. They are free to explore – to be adventurous.

So in many respects, if you ever feel you are getting a bit stale standing in front of the canvas, then adapt a sense of wonder when working.

It’s kind of like taking on this attitude that says, “I wonder what would happen if I did this…”

Getting adventurous is all about fighting that fear of the unknown, and discovering the adventure of the unknown.

So get some adventure into your creative diet!

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Have You Ever Been Experienced?

I have spoken to artists both personally and to those on my newsletter list via email about “experience”.

There seems to be this fear that some of them have not had enough experience as artists, therefore are hesitant about pushing themselves further into the public eye to showcase their work.

I don’t think you have to reach a certain point as an artist in order to start being validated as an artist. Experience is not really the “destination” you need to reach in order to make a start on getting your work out there.

There is no doubt that experience certainly gives you confidence. But I believe that experience is really no more than a word to sum up our mistakes.

And through experience we slowly become experts at what we do, because we slowly learn how to avoid doing it the wrong way.

So if you are an artist who believes that you can’t move forward because you do not yet have enough experience, keep in mind that you cannot really face experience any other way than by getting out there and doing what it is that you do.

You are going to make mistakes (get experience). We all do. But there really is no destination as an artist. In fact I believe it takes an entire lifetime to become really good at what it is that you do. So you should just start doing it.

As you progress as an artist your “experiences” will greatly enhance the depth of your work.

So the big tip is to go out there and start making mistakes. It’s the only way to truly gain experience.

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“I Just Don’t Feel Like It!”

Today is one of those days where I lack the real fire to get the work done that I know I need to get done.

The important thing is to try and battle through that “I just don’t feel like it” phase that often overrules our thinking and affects our actual reality.

A few years ago I was renovating a property and often felt struck by this “I just don’t feel like it” ailment too regularly.

(Before and after pics of the front of the house – I even did the roof!)

The problem was; I kept focusing on how much work actually needed to be done to finish the entire renovation instead of just focusing on the work that needed to be done for each given day.

The renovation was not just a simple clean up type of job either. It was a massive project that required the whole house to be gutted inside and out.

In fact, it was so big that when I bought the house some of my friends and family thought I had simply gotten in over my head. They looked a little scared for me when they had a look around the place. They could not see how I was going to fix this house up. As far as they were concerned, the house should have been knocked down and a new house should have been built on the block.

But I had a vision. I was prepared mentally. Almost.

So to cut a long story short… I often experienced days while renovating that property where I would have rather pulled my head under the pillows and gone back to sleep.

Some days were so hard to face. I knew what I had to do but mentally argued with my self about whether I should actually do it.

“I just didn’t feel like it”

But I always forced myself to at least put in two hours. That’s how I rationalised it to myself in order to break down the enormity of the project into achievable chunks.

When I experienced that “I just don’t feel like it” moment in the morning, I would lie and tell myself that all I had to do was put in just 2 hours… that’s all. Then I could go back to bed if I wanted to. But I had to at least show up on site and put in 2 hours.

Most days I ended up doing 10 hours or more.

I adopt this (lie to myself) philosophy in my art as well. I often tell my self, “If I can just go for a no excuses 1 hour of work, then I can throw my brushes down and go play guitar”.

Sometimes I actually do only last an hour. But the real value is in the discipline and commitment rather than the time allocated to do the job.

It’s not always easy. But it is worthwhile if you can get through those “I don’t really feel like it” phases.

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How To Create a Vision as an Artist

To put it in real simple terms, having a vision helps you to see another 20 to 1000 paintings ahead of the one you are currently working on.

Having a vision is what will ultimately inspire you to keep painting, keep drawing, keep working and believe in your ability as an artist.

Try To Avoid The Money Goal

One thing you should try to avoid is incorporating an economic barometer or some kind of financial goal into your vision for becoming a good artist. The problem with aligning your vision as an artist with monetary goals is that you will eventually become somewhat of a production line artist with not a lot to say in terms of what your art represents.

Another problem with incorporating the goal for money from your art into your vision is that you become less prone to take risks and explore avenues as an artist.

In other words, if you base your goals aspirations around money you will essentially be moving in the opposite direction to where you should be going in terms of becoming a good artist.

Branding and Marketing

Branding and marketing your work is nothing more than a process you need to become familiar with to make sales, but it should not be the purpose or the foundation of your vision as an artist.

The purpose of having a vision as an artist is so that you can see your journey working out step by step without any doubt or lack of confidence. It is also important because essentially a vision is what will keep your focused and motivated.

A vision evokes the whole adventure of being an artist. Just wanting to paint or create is really only paper thin in terms of commitment. A vision on the other hand is what moves and motivates you beyond just theories and good intentions; it moves you to take lots of action.

And when you begin to get this type of momentum as an artist, your spirit will soar and any issues you may have had in regards to doubting yourself and worrying about your ability to actually create good art will simply disappear.

The Challenge Of Creating a Vision

Now I know through my own experiences it can be a bit of a challenge to create a vision when you are just starting out. What you find yourself doing is referencing your work with other artists works that you admire.

We tend to look for familiarity or some kind rhythm that is close to our own. It’s only natural that we do that to develop as the beginner. But eventually we have to break away from seeking that type of creative guidance through other artists work and begin our search to discover our own voice.

You see… what gives you that clear idea, and that clarity on the canvas is directly influenced by the intensity of your creative vision.

Accessing Your Creative Rhythm

Let’s look at this equation:

Inner vision + ultimate expression = Creative Rhythm

Your inner vision is things like imaginative images, or images from your memory or images you have of the future, intense hallucinations, free flowing ideas,

Your inner vision is much like your sensitive eye, or your emotional sight if that makes sense. It’s that ability to see beyond what our physical eyes don’t see.

Now don’t worry too much if this doesn’t resinate with you straight away. Creating a vision can take time.

So don’t fret because you can’t see what you think you need to see in order to start creating good art. I am merely exposing you to the concept and not expecting you to be able to have a clear vision of what you want to create as an artist in the next 48 hours.

It could take you week’s, months or years to really embrace your vision. It is a journey; so don’t feel intimidated because you are operating without a clear vision. The purpose of this lesson is to explain to you how motivated and focused you can become as an artist when you have a vision to pursue.

Essentially it is what will give you a true purpose to keep working beyond your expectations.

Ultimate Expression

Now the second part of that equation is “Ultimate expression”

Well, I guess this part is probably best understood if you think of how much you love your partner or your son or daughter, or even a friend or a pet, and then think of how you express that love. It’s a very natural thing to do. It doesn’t require much thought or real effort to apply. And that ultimate expression is generated from the vision you have of that person or pet.

And so the same goes with art, if you have a solid vision then you will discover that breeds a sense of ultimate expression, which lead to the last part of the equation, Creative rhythm.

If you have seen any videos of me producing my own work, you might often see me moving about, as if I am working in time with the beat of the music, or may look like I am dancing a bit.

Well essentially I am giving myself completely to that creative rhythm. I have the inner vision of what I want to produce which lead to the freedom of being able to express it clearly on the canvas and that of course provides the creative rhythm or to put it another way, the power to fully charge the engine and keep in running in order to produce the piece without hesitation, accidents or doubts.

Vision: The Art Of Being…

Vision is the art of being able to see things that are not visible to the human eye.

Essentially, what people will be buying from you is not just a nice canvas painting, but also a part of your vision. Many people like the idea of being able to associate with an artist’s motivation and passion, because it helps to dispel their own doubts in life and add a sense of value to their life through the inspiration they receive from looking at and owning your artwork.

Sure, there are lots of people who just art to match the sofa – and that’s great, art is decor. But in many respects they are buying for the same reason as the person who sees a lot of depth in your work  – to feel good and have something they love to look at.

Personal Commitment

Having a vision authenticates your personal commitment to your journey as an artist.

Having a vision makes it easier to break down your goals into bight size pieces and give you the ability to create strategies that will ultimately generate results in regards to creating art beyond your greatest expectations.

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