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Howdy, art friend ;3

Let me guess…

You’ve struggled with knowing when pieces are done?

I mean cmon. Real talk - most artists feel the call of the deep, dark abyss of perfectionism.

We love to chase the ideal, polish endless details, and convince ourselves that only flawless work is worth sharing. Like some hopeless romantic chasing a toxic one-way relationship lol

But here’s a crazy idea....

What if your pursuit of perfectionism is killing your progress?

I know...what's the point if you aren't about to make the next Mona Lisa? But after drawing for most of my life, I’ve learned that letting go of perfection is one of the smartest things you can do if you want to get anywhere.

But what does that even mean? Well let's explore...

Somewhere along the way, we bought into the idea that only the best work matters.

We accepted that if our art isn’t mind-blowing, it’s not worth creating. And social media doesn't help. Instagram is riddled with top notch, grade A, "wtf how did you make that" artists.

And then you're sitting there comparing yourself to a master feeling like a loser...

But this is a trap.

And of course, if you're newer to art you might never start because you feel like a failure for not creating universe-bending art immediately.

So now what?

Instead of chasing some impossible flawless version of your work, what if you just...

Let your art be what it is?

What if you embraced the messy, imperfect, beautiful reality of the creative process?

What if your creativity came from a place of simplicity, presence, and authenticity? What if you, rather than trying to make something perfect, you tried to make something real?

What if you were okay with okay - or even bad?

When you accept that it’s okay to be okay, something magical happens:

And I know for a fact (from many years of watching analytics) that sketches do really well vs. finished works - and take a fraction of the time.

There's a reason for this. People tend to resonate more with things they identify with or understand. Ask yourself, is it easier to see yourself, a vulnerable and imperfect creature, in an unfinished and messy sketch or a polished 20 hour piece?

Now ofc, is you derive more pleasure from making 20 hours pieces, by all means. Just don’t hold it to an impossible standard plz.

The journey is the point.

Paraphrasing the late, great Alan Watts, "Why do you listen to music? To listen to music, of course. You don't listen to music to hear the end of the song. That would be lame, and, if that was the case, every symphony would just be a crescendo."

Think about it.

You don’t need to create a masterpiece every time. You need to take a broader view and understand that you, YOU, are the artwork you're actually creating. Every piece of art you create is actually a brushstroke for the artwork that is your life.

That sounded cool as I wrote it, but hopefully that wasn't too big picture xd

Get better results by focusing on the process over the result.

Don’t find your worth as an artist in how polished your work is. Find your worth in your discipline, your creativity, and your uniqueness - because the way out of downward spiral of perfectionism is to embrace imperfection.

You see, your art is a reflection of you. Your art is never enough, because you don’t see yourself as enough. So, stop fighting for some vague idea of “perfect”. You’ll never find it.

Instead…

Peace and Love,
Brosatsu