Congratulations!  Stress, the lack of inspiration and self-doubt have been sufficiently squashed; their ability to hinder your creative genius has been destroyed. Now it’s time to show the baddest monster on the block who’s the boss.  Now it’s time to wrestle with:

The Fourth Monster of the Creative Apocalypse:

Perfection.

Imperfection by Christina Ryan

Mankind has been keeping a secret; a lie that is perpetuated through the media, our educational system, even by some of our parents.  That lie is called perfection; the secret is that it doesn’t exist.  It’s true.  There is no such thing as perfection, at least not in the truest sense of the word.  There is nothing that is without flaws…NOTHING…not you, not your art, NOTHING.

Striving for perfection in your creative endeavors will always leave you disappointed.  How long will you continue to create if you consistently feel defeated?  Not very long.  No one wants to do anything that makes them feel like a failure.  So why do we strive to achieve something that is a 100%  guaranteed impossibility?

That’s a tricky question

There are so many causes of perfectionism.  Some would argue we are conditioned through the media, the books and magazines we read, the show and movies we watch, the grades we receive in school.  We are conditioned to try to achieve an unrealistic ideal.  For others of us it is a matter of control.  We strive for perfection as a means to demonstrate control over ourselves, our medium of choice, our goals, our ideas.    Really, at the end of the day, the primary cause is insecurity.  I want you to take a moment, be honest and think about which of these may apply to you:

• I am afraid of failing.
• I hate being wrong.
• I rely on praise from others for validation.
• I do not handle rejection well.

I know rejection and being wrong are two huge ones for me.  And I’d be willing to bet that if you have perfectionist tendencies one or more of these apply to you too.

Those causes sound daunting

Yes.  Yes they do sound daunting.  They don’t have to be.

Really?

Yes, really.  One of the primary ways to stop this practice is to change your focus.  You need to retrain your brain.  Most perfectionists are very critical both of others and themselves.  You have trained your brain to see the flaws in just about everything.  Sound familiar?  I thought so.  The next time you find yourself thinking critical thoughts I want you to change gears.  I want you to notice positive things instead.  Make a list of all the good things instead.  Just change your focus!  Accentuate the positive!

Another handy trick is to think about the process of creating instead of the end result.  Give yourself permission to experiment and possibly even *gasp* fail.  The world won’t end.  I promise.  You might even find that overtime you learn to appreciate and love the little flaws and quirks that make your work uniquely you.

Well…that’s it!  The last of the creativity killing beasties is taking its final breaths.  WE DID IT!  Thank you for taking this journey with me.  I know this series has helped me work through some of my issues and hopefully it has done the same for you.  Now get off the computer and go create!  Let that beautiful, amazing (and imperfect) talent of yours shine!  And if you would like to share some of your wonderful creations feel free to leave a link in the comments section below.   If you would like to send them to me directly I might even start a reader gallery section to showcase your genius!  I would love to see them!  Just shoot me an email using the “contact me” page.

Thanks again, my dears and keep creating!

Kisses & Chaos,

Alli Woods Frederick

PS- Did you miss parts 1-3 of this series?  You can find them here:

The Culprits of Creative Slumps Part 1:  Stress

The Culprits of Creative Slumps Part 2:  Inspiration?

The Culprits of Creative Slumps Part 3:  Self-Doubt