Recently, we’ve been garnering Creator Tips from our partners. One tip from our partner NyteTide really stood out to us:
It does not have to be perfect.
Let’s dive a bit more into this concept.
When it comes to creative work, many of us want it to be absolutely perfect, constantly adding, subtracting, tweaking, or restarting projects. What does this result in?
You might have the most amazing piece of creative work you’ve ever made…
… but be honest—how often is that the case?
While some projects simply take a monumental amount of time and effort to come out as envisioned, in most cases, you’ll have a great video that you won’t start recording because the script isn’t perfect, a stream you won’t broadcast because the setup isn’t perfect, or a photo you won’t share because the composition isn’t perfect.
Being a perfectionist as a way to make your best content often has the opposite result: it can be a hindrance to creativity.
Why is Perfectionism Harmful?
Before we go any further, everyone should recognize that there are some fields where you must work perfectly—you don’t want a surgeon or structural engineer to make mistakes.
However, when it comes to creative works like streaming, photography, videography, and other forms of content creation, perfectionism can be exactly what’s preventing you from improving.
Let’s compare two hypothetical creators:
Creator A has committed to publishing 3 good videos a week, while Creator B only publishes videos when they feel the video is perfect. Let’s say in a 3-month span, Creator A sticks to their schedule and ends up posting around 40 videos, while Creator B has only posted one or two.
Who do you think has connected more with their audience? Or improved at their craft?
Clearly, Creator A. Even if a video isn’t perfect, they’re consistently showing up for their community and putting in the effort to improve their work. On top of that, for every video they post, they have the opportunity to receive feedback, which provides even more resources to improve as a creator.
While Creator B is still putting themself out there, they have far fewer repetitions on their creative muscles, far less feedback to absorb, and far less consistency to foster a community. Their few videos may be great, but they’ll improve far more slowly than Creator A for one important reason:
Practice makes perfect better.
The point is that your content will never be perfect.
There will never be an objectively perfect video or photo or stream. The creator who has more practice at their craft will inevitably be better at it than the creator frozen by perfectionism. Practice makes better.
If you can improve your content creating skills by 1% per video, that will add up and compound. The more regularly you use these skills, the more they’ll improve and the better your content will inevitably become.
Here’s another analogy:
Your content is the dart and the board is the quality and performance. How does one hit a bull’s eye (AKA your best work, a viral hit, etc.)?
You can simply throw darts in the general direction of the board with little regard for aiming your throw. You’ll miss a lot, but you might hit eventually (inconsistently). That’s what a lot of creators do.
On the other end, someone may take an excessive amount of time to aim and try to get one perfect shot, but how long can you really spend aiming before you just psych yourself out, miss your shot, or give up entirely?
Try taking enough time to aim your shot with care but not so much time that you are stuck on that one shot. You’ll get closer and closer to the bull’s eye until you can hit it pretty consistently.
Put the effort to make good content worth watching, engaging with, and sharing to others. Make it regularly, and don’t let perfectionism stop you.
Develop a unique niche that makes the most of your best qualities and unique skills, which can help with improving your content. Learning to manage your time will allow you to keep your consistency up without sacrificing your health.
Strive to do your best and improve your craft. Accept that a perfect piece of content does not exist and that the best you can do with the time and energy you have is enough. Be consistent and do the best with what you can.
Keep creating, and remember…
We are all creators.
AVerMedia Blog 