Why Perfectionism Kills Creativity
By Yamilet Chabla Urgiles ('25)
Dear reader,
How many times have you ripped that writing page that you tried to redo over and over again until you couldn’t handle it any longer? Or maybe even that art piece you dumped in the trash after painting or sketching it for hours and you still hate the way it looks? I can understand; those moments still affect my creative process to this day.
Writing was something that I loved, until I perfected it. It made me stop writing things I loved because I kept comparing it to other writers, and I tried perfecting it rather than enjoying my writing style. Writing now made me feel miserable and bad about myself. The only thing I wanted to do was quit and never pursue it again. I just wanted it to be perfect. Many other creative people can relate; we just want to do better than enough, but why does perfection kill creativity?
Well, perfectionism can be a killer or a helper, depending on how you look at it. While it is good to want to do better, sometimes, we take it too far. Destructive perfectionism is debilitating and is very mentally draining. It is no longer fun; it just leads you to focus on getting things done perfectly instead of experiencing joy whilst working on whatever project you wanted to enjoy. The creative process just stops at a dead-end; the creative juices are no longer rushing. It can lead to writing blocks or whatever block stops us from doing what we love. It also leads to procrastination because we doubt ourselves and our confidence just disappears away. We end up hating the project we’re doing and it makes us question whether we should even continue or throw it all away.
But is having perfectionism bad?
Perfectionism can lead to higher creativity but only to a certain amount rather than overdoing it. People that want to perfect their creativity don’t ignore the little it’s and bits of pieces missing, and they put their focus on trying to improve. Their line of thinking is out of the box, rather than conforming to one mold. They can also be curious thinkers, as well as have a thirst for learning. It can lead to a journey of learning, but there’s a descriptive perfectionist who focuses on the task at hand rather than the journey. They want to perfect, rather than enjoy the journey and lose its total purpose. Between both perfectionists, there is a big difference. It is very conflicting to try and be perfect and unique, but at the same time, you want your art (in whatever form that may be in) to be the best it can be. So, why not have both?
It is good to have an eye on the prize, (the end goal) but you shouldn’t focus on the end all the time. Try to enjoy the current moment and how it makes you feel. You can get lost in the creative process, and it just makes everything so much worse. It empties all the joy. Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity; it is just the thief of joy. To combat this, we should start by having self-acceptance, and if you are on the destructive side, it can make you more aware of all those tiny voices in your head telling you that you won’t make it if you are the creator of your art. You are in control more than any voices in your head that put a barrier between what your head thinks vs what the heart wants. It just doesn’t serve a purpose; it makes everything less enjoyable. All those negative experiences lead to negative experiences in that art. Keep in mind that positive thoughts=positive outcomes.
So, how can we fix it?
Glad you asked!
To start, make your project ugly on purpose!
Everyone might be asking, "Why would you want to do that?! It just gets all those ideas down and might as well start with the bad ones!" That's where the secret is, my friend! You can use their constructive criticism to improve! Hearing their comments will make you want to fix it up, and then that’s when the creative spark starts to explode!
Get people to give constructive criticism to your work!
We are our worst critics. Seriously, we will think our work is horrible above all else. We may not know if it might be good or may need some improvements. A trusted friend or any other person can help you by giving constructive criticism. Notice how it’s not a criticism, but constructive. The other person will help reveal that hidden stress that burdens us on the top of our shoulders when judging our work. It can help you to notice what can be improved whilst not beating yourself up in a destructive way.
When you get a creative block, do something boring!
For example, at least for me, I like writing poetry and when nothing comes up I just search up prompts that tell me what to write about, and yeah, they are pretty boring, and you have to write in that framework and have no freedom of writing further than that, but that helps with getting inspiration! It helps you to improve your writing or anything, in retrospect. It just helps the brain become engaged and creative while those creative sparks come out.
Use social media as your buddy!
There are many forums and groups similar to your interests that will help you be able to unleash your creativity and create reliable friendships that can help you to improve your work. I doubt anyone isn’t going through the same thing as you! Take comfort in the fact that what you are feeling is universal. It can help by having a hand to hold while being in a creative rut.
At the end of the day, sometimes our art can’t be "perfect". Sometimes, it’s supposed to be messy and silly to others, but if it’s good enough for us, that’s all it matters. Sometimes, it's ok to just have it done rather than it being perfect. Being perfect can be a double-edged sword. It’s okay to hit the road and not have any creative process, but there has to be something to get it back. After all, there had to be something that made us fall in love with our work in the first place, right?
Cover photo courtesy of Scientific American.