"Perfectionism" is a Gift, but Mostly a Curse by Sean O'Kana

Sean O'Kana | A Letter on

Creativity

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Date:

Sep 14, 2023

From:

Sean O'Kana

To:

Maker

Subject:

"Perfectionism" is a Gift, but Mostly a Curse

THE GOOD ABOUT PERFECTIONISTS

They care about their craft.
Have a unique style & vision.
And a good sense of excellence.

THE FLAWS OF PERFECTIONISTS

They hardly execute.
Wasting time and opportunities.
Caring more about results than progress.

VOLUME > PERFECTION

less thinking | more creating

You have been held back from creating due to perfectionism. For some of us even for the past 10+ years. Totally not talking about myself. 👀

Imagine what you would have built if you published something once a month since you started.

DON'T BE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” Julia Cameron

If you are "too busy," perfectionism still applies to you. Because you are waiting for the “perfect time” to create.

Even 15 minutes to write a 3 line poem can go a long way:

"Haiku" by Matsuo Basho:"An old silent pond...A frog jumps into the pond—Splash! Silence again."

A sensation of calmness comes over me when reading this.

Don't minimize the power of 15 minutes of creativity.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

FACTS OF CONSISTENCY

10% of songs from emerging artists go viral or build their following (ChatGPT)
PewDiePie: PewDiePie, the most-subscribed YouTuber. It took him 100 videos to reach 1,000 subscribers.
David Dobrik: It’s estimated that he gained attention after about 10-15 vlogs.
MrBeast: He had 300 videos uploaded before he went viral worldwide.

EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS

"The beauty of jazz is in it's imperfections; that's where the magic lies." | Louis Armstrong

This is why I love listening to jazz. It's liberating for my creativity.

No one notices your imperfections, and these can become the parts that people like most.

I end up growing from the imperfections I allow in my songs.

They are cue points in my progress that guide me on what to practice more.

You are only avoiding growth when trying to omit imperfections.

LET GO OF PERFECTIONISM

DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH PERFECTIONISM?

Please reply with how you connected with this article or the ways your perfectionism manifests! I would love to have more discussion on it.

MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE

I'm struggling with perfectionism as I write this.

I set a deadline, and was tempted to push it back for more time to perfect it. I feel like I can do better.

But if I don't "do," then I will never get "better."

Don't let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress.

YOU DON'T NEED THE PERFECT SETUP

This artist blew up from recording on his phone!

THE BOOK THAT SPARKED MY WRITING

It wasn’t until I read "The Illustrated Man" that I was inspired to write short stories. Bradbury masterfully gives a handful of angles that shed light on the darkness of mankind’s essence.

This taught me how to create from what I observe.

Sean O'Kana | A Letter on

Creativity

Reply All

Delete

Mark as Read

Date:

Sep 14, 2023

From:

Sean O'Kana

To:

Maker

Subject:

"Perfectionism" is a Gift, but Mostly a Curse

THE GOOD ABOUT PERFECTIONISTS

They care about their craft.
Have a unique style & vision.
And a good sense of excellence.

THE FLAWS OF PERFECTIONISTS

They hardly execute.
Wasting time and opportunities.
Caring more about results than progress.

VOLUME > PERFECTION

less thinking | more creating

You have been held back from creating due to perfectionism. For some of us even for the past 10+ years. Totally not talking about myself. 👀

Imagine what you would have built if you published something once a month since you started.

DON'T BE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” Julia Cameron

If you are "too busy," perfectionism still applies to you. Because you are waiting for the “perfect time” to create.

Even 15 minutes to write a 3 line poem can go a long way:

"Haiku" by Matsuo Basho:"An old silent pond...A frog jumps into the pond—Splash! Silence again."

A sensation of calmness comes over me when reading this.

Don't minimize the power of 15 minutes of creativity.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

FACTS OF CONSISTENCY

10% of songs from emerging artists go viral or build their following (ChatGPT)
PewDiePie: PewDiePie, the most-subscribed YouTuber. It took him 100 videos to reach 1,000 subscribers.
David Dobrik: It’s estimated that he gained attention after about 10-15 vlogs.
MrBeast: He had 300 videos uploaded before he went viral worldwide.

EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS

"The beauty of jazz is in it's imperfections; that's where the magic lies." | Louis Armstrong

This is why I love listening to jazz. It's liberating for my creativity.

No one notices your imperfections, and these can become the parts that people like most.

I end up growing from the imperfections I allow in my songs.

They are cue points in my progress that guide me on what to practice more.

You are only avoiding growth when trying to omit imperfections.

LET GO OF PERFECTIONISM

DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH PERFECTIONISM?

Please reply with how you connected with this article or the ways your perfectionism manifests! I would love to have more discussion on it.

MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE

I'm struggling with perfectionism as I write this.

I set a deadline, and was tempted to push it back for more time to perfect it. I feel like I can do better.

But if I don't "do," then I will never get "better."

Don't let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress.

YOU DON'T NEED THE PERFECT SETUP

This artist blew up from recording on his phone!

THE BOOK THAT SPARKED MY WRITING

It wasn’t until I read "The Illustrated Man" that I was inspired to write short stories. Bradbury masterfully gives a handful of angles that shed light on the darkness of mankind’s essence.

This taught me how to create from what I observe.

Sean O'Kana | A Letter on

Creativity

Reply All

Delete

Mark as Read

Date:

Sep 14, 2023

From:

Sean O'Kana

To:

Maker

Subject:

"Perfectionism" is a Gift, but Mostly a Curse

THE GOOD ABOUT PERFECTIONISTS

They care about their craft.
Have a unique style & vision.
And a good sense of excellence.

THE FLAWS OF PERFECTIONISTS

They hardly execute.
Wasting time and opportunities.
Caring more about results than progress.

VOLUME > PERFECTION

less thinking | more creating

You have been held back from creating due to perfectionism. For some of us even for the past 10+ years. Totally not talking about myself. 👀

Imagine what you would have built if you published something once a month since you started.

DON'T BE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” Julia Cameron

If you are "too busy," perfectionism still applies to you. Because you are waiting for the “perfect time” to create.

Even 15 minutes to write a 3 line poem can go a long way:

"Haiku" by Matsuo Basho:"An old silent pond...A frog jumps into the pond—Splash! Silence again."

A sensation of calmness comes over me when reading this.

Don't minimize the power of 15 minutes of creativity.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

FACTS OF CONSISTENCY

10% of songs from emerging artists go viral or build their following (ChatGPT)
PewDiePie: PewDiePie, the most-subscribed YouTuber. It took him 100 videos to reach 1,000 subscribers.
David Dobrik: It’s estimated that he gained attention after about 10-15 vlogs.
MrBeast: He had 300 videos uploaded before he went viral worldwide.

EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS

"The beauty of jazz is in it's imperfections; that's where the magic lies." | Louis Armstrong

This is why I love listening to jazz. It's liberating for my creativity.

No one notices your imperfections, and these can become the parts that people like most.

I end up growing from the imperfections I allow in my songs.

They are cue points in my progress that guide me on what to practice more.

You are only avoiding growth when trying to omit imperfections.

LET GO OF PERFECTIONISM

DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH PERFECTIONISM?

Please reply with how you connected with this article or the ways your perfectionism manifests! I would love to have more discussion on it.

MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE

I'm struggling with perfectionism as I write this.

I set a deadline, and was tempted to push it back for more time to perfect it. I feel like I can do better.

But if I don't "do," then I will never get "better."

Don't let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress.

YOU DON'T NEED THE PERFECT SETUP

This artist blew up from recording on his phone!

THE BOOK THAT SPARKED MY WRITING

It wasn’t until I read "The Illustrated Man" that I was inspired to write short stories. Bradbury masterfully gives a handful of angles that shed light on the darkness of mankind’s essence.

This taught me how to create from what I observe.

Sean O'Kana | A Letter on

Creativity

Reply All

Delete

Date:

Sep 14, 2023

From:

Sean O'Kana

To:

Maker

Subject:

"Perfectionism" is a Gift, but Mostly a Curse

THE GOOD ABOUT PERFECTIONISTS

They care about their craft.
Have a unique style & vision.
And a good sense of excellence.

THE FLAWS OF PERFECTIONISTS

They hardly execute.
Wasting time and opportunities.
Caring more about results than progress.

VOLUME > PERFECTION

less thinking | more creating

You have been held back from creating due to perfectionism. For some of us even for the past 10+ years. Totally not talking about myself. 👀

Imagine what you would have built if you published something once a month since you started.

DON'T BE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” Julia Cameron

If you are "too busy," perfectionism still applies to you. Because you are waiting for the “perfect time” to create.

Even 15 minutes to write a 3 line poem can go a long way:

"Haiku" by Matsuo Basho:"An old silent pond...A frog jumps into the pond—Splash! Silence again."

A sensation of calmness comes over me when reading this.

Don't minimize the power of 15 minutes of creativity.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

FACTS OF CONSISTENCY

10% of songs from emerging artists go viral or build their following (ChatGPT)
PewDiePie: PewDiePie, the most-subscribed YouTuber. It took him 100 videos to reach 1,000 subscribers.
David Dobrik: It’s estimated that he gained attention after about 10-15 vlogs.
MrBeast: He had 300 videos uploaded before he went viral worldwide.

EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS

"The beauty of jazz is in it's imperfections; that's where the magic lies." | Louis Armstrong

This is why I love listening to jazz. It's liberating for my creativity.

No one notices your imperfections, and these can become the parts that people like most.

I end up growing from the imperfections I allow in my songs.

They are cue points in my progress that guide me on what to practice more.

You are only avoiding growth when trying to omit imperfections.

LET GO OF PERFECTIONISM

DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH PERFECTIONISM?

Please reply with how you connected with this article or the ways your perfectionism manifests! I would love to have more discussion on it.

MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE

I'm struggling with perfectionism as I write this.

I set a deadline, and was tempted to push it back for more time to perfect it. I feel like I can do better.

But if I don't "do," then I will never get "better."

Don't let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress.

YOU DON'T NEED THE PERFECT SETUP

This artist blew up from recording on his phone!

THE BOOK THAT SPARKED MY WRITING

It wasn’t until I read "The Illustrated Man" that I was inspired to write short stories. Bradbury masterfully gives a handful of angles that shed light on the darkness of mankind’s essence.

This taught me how to create from what I observe.