Perfectionism In Music + Art Is Gross (8 examples why)
Perfectionism in music, art and creativity is an illusion. It’s a unicorn. A damn myth. Of course, this reality extends well beyond creative pursuits. But my focus is on art and music specifically. So let’s learn why perfection doesn’t exist.
The perfectionism myth is an interesting topic. It’s something I think everyone intuitively and consciously understands and accepts (like, yea i know, it’s not realistic).
But when we actually get into making things and putting ourselves out there, feelings of not being good enough start to pop up. We know it’s all BS, but we fall for the trap every time.
So I hope this article provides some powerful examples to not only reset the brain but create some lasting impressions.
So the next time you feel that need for perfection, you’ll remember it’s all one big ruse.
Perfection vs. Excellence: Definitions
Perfection is the enemy of excellence. So the saying goes…
But where’s the line between perfection and excellence? Is there any clear separation? What’s perfection? Excellence? Let’s start here.
Perfection is a state that is free from any perceived flaws or defects.
Excellence is a state of relative superior quality, and usually far above the norm.
Put another way, it’s free from perceived flaws vs. above-normal quality.
And to push back at the perfectionist paradigm, it’s often better to keep the imperfections.
The “flaws” and “defects” of a project can be the nuances and moments of intrigue that make it stand out. We’ll dig into this idea more below.
So just remember, strive for excellence (but avoid the perfectionism trap).
The Problem With the Perfection Illusion In Art + Music
So what’s the problem with perfection? This answer is probably pretty long.
But for me, the issues with perfection are this:
It creates unrealistic goals
It negatively impacts your mental health and happiness
It creates a false narrative about what’s required for success
It’s subjective
It’s stressful
It’s stupid
These are, in my humble view, the top problems with pursuing (or believing in) perfection.
Of course, striving for betterment and excellence is fine – and constantly working towards crafting high-quality music and art is awesome.
But it’s important to do occasional check ins and be sure we’re separating realistic challenges from unattainable perfection.
So stay diligent, but keep things loose.
Perfection In Music + Art Doesn’t Exist: 8 Examples
The examples below should serve as inspiring reminders that success and awesomeness doesn’t need perfection.
There are numerous people, ideas and projects that prove this. So this list will be a living collection of examples.
That is, I’ll circle back to this post and continue updating it as I come across more examples.
1. Perfection Is A Wet Blanket On Originality + Artistic Self Expression
Self expression and art shouldn’t be bound and in a cage. But that’s exactly what perfectionism does.
New ideas require outside the box, rule-breaking, sometimes “imperfect” thinking.
In my (totally untrained) view, surrealism in art basically aims to avoid perfectionism.
I mean, as more obvious examples, consider surrealism or Picasso and his abstract cubism.
There’s another interesting concept in art. It’s this: after learning all the rules and advanced techniques – the artist tries to go backwards and draw like a kid again.
I suppose the purpose is to recapture the honesty and “imperfection” in making something based on pure joy, with a blank slate of expertise.
So, sometimes imperfection is the best way to deliver a real, artistic experience.
2. Many Famous Songs, Producers and Performers Have Imperfections + Make Mistakes
Unbeknownst to many listeners, music can often be fraught with “imperfection”.
For example, some of the vocal tracks of Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes’ contain background noises and lack “proper” fades. Yet, Billy and Finneas are amazing musicians and artists – they know what they’re doing.
Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ has feedback happening in some parts.
Ed Sheeran used to sound bad.
Even well seasoned singers aren’t always perfectly on pitch 100% of the time.
Tracks and recordings, before processing and effects, often contain imperfections and can sound like garbage on their own.
Imperfections are everywhere in music and a little rule breaking is actually necessary for getting some of the most interesting sounds and innovations.
And as you’ll see in some of the examples below – imperfection may be necessary to make music and projects sound and feel more human.
3. Slightly Off Timing In Music Can Feel More Expressive
When I’m producing music on my computer, I frequently mess with the timing of my virtual instruments.
Sometimes, it just sounds better and more expressive.
I’ll quantize most of the notes (i.e., match them to the beat). But I often go back and make a few of them slightly “off”.
It’s a nuance that’s hard to describe, but it adds an important and expressive human element back to the mix.
4. Art + Music Is Subjective. Art + Music Constantly Change.
The way we perceive art and music is always changing and it varies between people.
Factors like lifestyle, age, cultural background and personal preferences can all influence how we experience creative projects.
So one person’s perfect is another’s meh.
Further, styles and technologies change and evolve constantly. And artistic goals can vary so much, influencing the short-term perceived quality of a thing.
For example, an energetic house song may be perfect for a club night full of dancing, but the next morning – I don’t know, give me some Sigur Ros or coffee music maybe.
It’s all contextual and dynamic. There’s no perfect music or art because every situation and context calls for a different vibe.
Today’s perfect may be tomorrow’s nope.
5. Perfectionism Hinders Growth + Skill-Building
Perfectionism creates an obsession on details that don’t ultimately matter.
A negative feedback loop coupled with procrastination and a fear of failure ends up in incomplete projects, slow improvements and less quality results.
Alternatively, focusing on quantity over quality (and completely ignoring quality or perfectionism) creates higher quality results.
We focus less and can have more fun, we complete more projects leading to more active practice time and have a higher number of chances for creating something truly unique.
6. Perfectionism Kills Creativity
Perfectionism puts us in a box and puts guardrails up on our creativity.
Not good!
If you’re aiming for perfection, your creativity is suffering. A truly creative, flow state requires an unhinged approach.
Understanding technique, rules and strategies are incredibly helpful, but doing things based on mood and intuition is equally important.
So an ongoing focus for perfection is going to severely limit you creatively.
It’s a bit of a trap though, and hard to avoid.
For example, I love writing music, and there are a bottomless amount of videos and resources telling you what you should be doing (and what you should avoid like the plague).
Some of the advice is warranted. But sometimes, we can end up putting too many walls around our creativity and passion.
To echo Picasso, learn the rules, for sure – but remember to break them like an artist.
7. Perfection Lacks In-the-Moment Passion + Humanness
Similar to how perfectly timed instruments can strip the human expression from a song, performance perfection can do similar damage.
For example, overly processed vocals remove natural tone and depth and off-script live performances stand out for a reason.
I’m all for cleaning things up and getting a crisp final stem that is in key and sounds professional. But too much is too much.
Trying to fix something too much can end up breaking it. For better sounding music, often the nuances of “imperfection” need to stay.
8. Too Much Perfection Sounds Robotic + Looks Sterile
This is a common result in music production.
You create a melody in your computer and then quantize it to match every note and chord perfectly with the beat. The velocity of every note is even. And you clean up the sound with pedantic EQing and processing.
It’s perfect. Right?
Well, too much of this editing can actually end up making things sound pretty robotic. Like, where’s the human that made this thing?
So to make music more human, we need more finesse. We need different velocities for notes and we should try staggering the timing of things so they’re slightly “off”.
In the end, these imperfections are what give the song life.
The same can be said for art. I mean, consider the differences between AI-made art and human-made paintings.
The human touch and inherent “imperfection” is a creative nuance that actually makes creativity unique, interesting and, well, human.
BONUS: We Need Imperfections: Mistakes Make Us Better
As artists and creatives, we need to be constantly testing and trying new ideas to push past our own creative boundaries. The results are often far from perfect, or even what we imagined.
Sometimes, new ideas just flop real’ hard.
But it always makes us stronger. It’s a learning moment. You know how it goes: failure forward; mistakes are the best teachers; blah blah blah.
But it’s all true.
For me, I try to visualize mistakes and obstacles as me reaching some metaphorical door that will take you to some amazing new place. But it’s locked.
You found the door – which is half the battle – but you need to figure out a solution to unlock it.
So you keep trying new strategies and tweaks until you find the key.
Then boom, you’re in that new place, and achieved a new level of skill or talent. You become a stronger artist.
Flip the Script: 7 Ways to Crush the Perfection Illusion
OK, we know perfection is an illusion. And we’ve now got some great examples of successful people and ideas that work amazingly as imperfect projects.
But no perfectionism post would be complete without some tips for avoiding and overcoming it.
So here are some of the top ways that helped me to overcome the perfection obsession as a creative.
Aim for Imperfection
This is a subtle way to shift your mindset and approach.
Essentially, try to make something “bad”, or create something as a joke. Try to include imperfections on purpose and let your creativity run free.
This can take away some of the stress and help you actually come up some unique ideas as a result.
Find Your Unfair Advantage. Focus On Your Uniqueness.
What’s your differentiation? What sets you apart from other artists or musicians?
This could be directly related to your craft, or something else. For example, I’m a traveling musician who blends music, art and filming to create unique creative projects.
So list out your goals, skills, interests and experiences. Look for unique overlaps and double down on those.
Focus on Quantity (Not Quality)
I love this idea. I actually have a whole post on the topic here (if you want to dig deeper).
Essentially, by focusing on quantity (creating many things) over quality (trying to make something perfect), we end up with better, higher quality things.
It’s threefold. First, you’re doing the dang thing and simply practicing more. Second, you’re not obsessing on quality, so it’s less stressful creating. And third, it’s a numbers game – the more ideas and projects you put out, the more likely one or many of them are unique.
Focus On Your Why
Why do you make art or music? What’s your drive and purpose?
No stress if you’ve never thought about this before – and no stress if you feel like your answer feels flat (such as, it’s just fun).
But understanding why we’re doing what we do can help boost motivation and inspiration to push past obstacles and perfectionistic bottlenecks.
Prioritize Fun + Find Your Flow State
This sounds generic, I know: just have fun!
But it’s so powerful, if you really let this one sink in and happen. Growing up, music and art was always fun. It was intuitive and based on mood and happiness.
Somewhere along the way, an obsession with perfection, algorithms and entrepreneurialism started making things more stressful. So try to get back to a place of pure joy, and you’ll probably come up with better stuff.
Practice Shifting Your Mindset + Perspectives
I’m obsessed with mindset. It’s been one of the biggest factors in my creative wellbeing and focus.
I’ve written a lot about the topic (peruse those articles here), but basically, I try to strengthen and keep three core mindsets:
A beginner’s mindset
A growth mindset
A creative mindset
Zoom Out
More often than not, we’re farther ahead than we realize. So zoom out, love what you’re doing and appreciate the growth you’ve made over the years.
Perfection is a unicorn and comparing yourself to some curated ideal or concept is never healthy.
So zoom out, keep working and just enjoy the ride. That’s the perfect solution.
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