There is No Such Thing as Perfection

I'm a reformed perfectionist. 
There. 
I've said it. 

 And being a perfectionist almost destroyed any sort of creativity I had. My neurological make up is predisposed to looking for the little things that aren't quite right and then magnifying them out of proportion. That's not an easy thing to get over.

 I know that in the past, it has kept me from moving forward, kept me from playing or releasing certain music, writing or publishing certain things, and in general, held me in a state of suspension. In the back of my mind was always the idea that, “If I do this, it will be better.” Even after I finished something, I just couldn't leave it alone. I had to keep tinkering with it under the misguided assumption that it could always be better. 

 I remember when getting ready to send off my final draft of a magazine article, that I would edit it one more time, just in case I could improve it. Trust me, this tendency is no fun. I have a lot of what is most likely great work just sitting here because it needs to be tweaked just a bit more. 

 Perhaps the most important thing an artist in any discipline can learn is when to let go.
Learn when to let go.

 There comes a time when you have to trust, trust both yourself, and trust your work, that it is complete. 
Finished. 
Done. 
Final. 

 And you need to realize that it probably isn't perfect. But perfect is a myth. There is no such thing. Perfect is something you can chase forever and never catch up to.

 So tell yourself that you are not perfect. Your work is not perfect. But everything is good enough. You are good enough. And keep moving forward.

 ~ MB

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