Growing up and having so many things that I was interested in and not showing any of my work in public has taught me that there is not nor will ever be
perfect.
Perfection Does Not Exist
Is perfection or the concept of being done and finished exist? Philosophical topic and will not be answered in this post.
Just putting it out there
Just finished a great book by Austin Kleon called “Show Your Work”. So well written and packed with chapters of why and how to just put your self and work out into the world.
I have to agree with Austin in every chapter. It has motivated me and inspired me to write again and to not to wait until something is ‘finished’ before getting input from outside world. A liberating concept as everyone has a unique contribution to this world.
I used to be really into music and played guitar for many years which included many days, nights and months of practice. Yet, for the longest time, I’ve never put my work out there. Meaning, I practiced, played in front of my friends…. and only after 15 years or so playing in front of an audience. Pathetic….
Lesson learned
The above example is just one of many in my experience. Getting work in front of as many people as possible I learned while being a consultant and working for a large corp.
Working there has been the clearest and the best lesson in getting work in front of my peers, boss, clients, and everyone involved in the project. It has made my work so much more relevant and improved the quality by leaps.
To make the long story short and to use a quote from another amazing and influential book for all creatives “Win Without Pitching Manifesto” by Blair Enns. This quote is from a post on Tao on Blairs website:
The question for the new year ahead is not what will we do but what will we no longer do?
For me, this has many meanings including the fact that I will no longer wait until a project is finished to have any input from outside world.
This book is a must read for anyone in the creative space, consulting space or just interested in moving ahead in a career.