Perfectionism is how your ideas disappear

That short period of time between an idea and its realization is what skyrockets our journey toward the goals we’re striving for. The longer we wait, the blurrier that idea becomes until it eventually... disappears, leaving us wondering, “What was I even thinking about?”

What I’ve noticed is that this is often the perfectionist voice inside us, telling stories about how we’re not ready yet, how it’s not serious enough, or how it needs more work. And this applies not only to daily life, but ESPECIALLY to creative ideas, drawing in particular. That’s exactly what I want to dive into in this newsletter: proving that perfectionism doesn’t actually exist.
This week, my mom was visiting me. She’s an architect and loves to scribble her ideas, so of course I asked her to sketch for us, and not just anything, but THE architectural icon we live close to: the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

As she was sketching, this is what stood out to me:

• She didn’t hesitate at the start, she just began sketching.

• She focused on the general idea, NOT on details or measuring proportions.

• Her lines were fast, without even a millisecond of overanalyzing, because the goal was clear: capture the essence of the architectural idea.

• Hatching and shading added depth to the composition.

• Once the sketch was finished, she handed it to me and immediately moved on to the next one. That’s it.
  
  

So what does this tell us?

The goal of sketching, and honestly, of life, is to capture the present moment, translate what’s in your mind onto paper, and not doubt the result. As long as it fulfills its purpose and you like it, it is good.

This reminded me of my own ultra-fast sketch at the airport while I was waiting for my mom.

I had about ten minutes before she appeared at the arrivals gate. Since I had my iPad mini in my purse, I decided to quickly sketch the scene in front of me: tables, chairs, and a bakery. I started with the general proportions - where the tables end, where the corner of the bakery is - then added a few contours.

After that, I decided to quickly film a short talking-head clip about the sketch. Yes, completely out of my comfort zone, talking to the camera with people sitting all around me.

Spoiler: literally no one cared.

At first, I nervously looked around after the first two takes. But once I realized everyone was busy with their own lives, I relaxed and recorded the final take which ended up in my final reel (you can watch it here). Okay, my mom had to wait for me… but only for a few seconds 😄

Trust me! Both of these situations terrified me.
The ultra-fast sketch.
Talking to the camera in a crowded café.

Thoughts like:

“Will this sketch be good enough to post?”
“What if people think it’s weird that I’m re-recording the same take?”

Maybe it DID look funny. But at the end of the day, the feeling of being so proud of myself for just doing it was worth any embarrassment.

Because look, if I had waited for the perfect drawing, for everyone to leave, for my hair to be perfect… that moment would never have happened. And now, when I look at that sketch, I remember my mom’s arrival and how special that trip was.

So yeah... f*ck perfectionism. It doesn’t exist. Progress comes from action.


Anna at @andshedrawsbig