Perfectionism vs Creativity
Penguin July 22nd, 2009
In a recent Wired article about the using Twitter to test material, I stumbled on this gem:
Preciousness and perfectionism are the enemies of laughter, Feig says. I’d go further: They can be inimical to creativity itself. And the positive implications of disposable ideation [...] go way beyond the chuckle hut. Picture a continuous curve of non-perfected, non-permanent expression, as opposed to individual, agonized boluses of brilliance. “Fuck it. I wrote it; if people don’t like it, I’ll put another out there soon enough,” Feig says of his Tweet ethic. “It’s freeing.”
Unfettered creative freedom is dear to Feig, who labored for years to perfect a near-perfect television show only to see it strangled to death by network exigencies.
The key quote in there is: “Fuck it. I wrote it; if people don’t like it, I’ll put another out there soon enough”
After watching Eyes Wide Shut and considering the mastery of Kubrick’s work, I’m torn. Part of me wants to produce impeccable art. The other part of me wants to hammer stuff out, each piece focusing, stretching, challenging, and stressing, my abilities. If it’s true that we need 10,000 hours or about 10 years of experience to become an expert, then I need all the practice I can get.
Talking to Ninja last night, I decided that I can live with both. If I want to produce impeccable art, I need to be disciplined on how I make that art come about. It would start in the concept and extend all the way through marketing and distribution. The perfection can’t be limited to just when you’re putting it together. This also means factoring in time for mistakes. And whenever you’re trying to be impeccable, you’re going to make mistakes.
Until I come up with that idea that is really worth pursuing with such energy, discipline, and abandon, I need to get to the point where I’ll be able to pull it off. That means pumping stuff out, being free and not over thinking these smaller projects. Because I know that each one is focused on stretching me in one particular way.
You can compare it to strength training. You can either use a machine that will isolate that specific muscle or use free weights to use an entire group of muscles. In reality, we use our entire bodies when we exert. This is why I love climbing so much. Your technique is balanced by your power is balanced by your mental discipline. It’s the body, working as one, that attains the goal. Does isolated training have it’s place? Definitely.
It’s the same thing with anything creative. The entire process is like the body. And you go through it, some of it is easier, so those muscles aren’t stretched. Others, hopefully, are more difficult, and really push you to the limit. And afterwards, you rest, renew, and grow.
You should follow me on twitter here.
- Penguin
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