I was chatting with an artist friend recently about the creative process and we discovered that we both have perfectionist tendencies. Ever since childhood, we have strived to do well at whatever we pursued. As adults, we set ourselves high expectations and standards, working hard to achieve success.
Our conversation flitted backwards and forwards, debating the pros and cons of perfectionism. We admitted to sometimes freezing up and being unable to work because we were too focused on reaching the unattainable level of perfection.
Although the pursuit of perfection can help a person focus their drive for success, it can also stifle that same drive. The constant striving for perfection can fill a person with self-criticism and self-doubt, a sense that their work is never good enough. Perfectionism does not leave space for error. It is our worst critic, leaving little room for encouragement, growth or personal satisfaction in the creative process.
I recently visited the Rodin Museum in Paris, which is crammed with artworks by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), considered by many to be the founder of modern sculpture. Room upon room of the museum contains sculptures in terracotta, plaster and marble, and numerous preliminary sketches on paper, while bronze sculptures decorate the gardens. He was a prodigious artist.
What amazed me about Rodin’s vast output, aside from his artistic and technical skills, were the high number of unfinished pieces in his oeuvre. Rooms were filled with partly completed sculptures, demonstrating his passion for constant experimentation, and his enjoyment of the creative process.
Rodin was known for not following traditional methods. Rather than making copies of famous sculptures and learning from the masters, he preferred to create original sculptures in clay by quickly pinching and moulding the clay to represent the postures of models who roamed his studio. The preliminary ‘sketches’ in clay were an important part of his experimentative method. He wasn’t afraid to fail. I doubt he considered any of his unfinished works as failures, but simply a part of the creative process.
It was an important lesson for me. Rather than striving for perfection, we should strive for excellence, accept that ‘good enough’ is better than aiming for the unattainable, and enjoy the innovative process of creation.
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