I think the creative professionals who are going to make it in the long run are the ones who are able to make peace with imperfection. The rest of us, myself included, will be left behind if we refuse to let go of the diminishing returns perfection demands.
This translates to large and small projects, with a singular focus or wide scope. Below are just two examples I’ve experience firsthand:
- Completing a 365 project requires you to let go of the need for every image to be an amazing piece of art. If you embrace the 365 concept, you will learn to appreciate the ups and downs, good images and bad, and continue to take action every day.
- Completing a novel, something many people dream of doing “someday,” will never happen unless the writer is willing to write a “rough” draft. Waiting for the perfect idea, plot twist or character to show up will almost certainly determine your failure… simply because of a failure to start… or finish.
Today’s image isn’t a work of art, but it’s a reminder of this absolutely essential skill every creative professional must embrace: Make Peace with Imperfection. In the bottom left, 2nd photo in is my award-winning image hanging in the City Hall building. It’s there because I let go of perfection, entered an imperfect image in a competition, and won. It prompted me to write The Definitive Guide for Winning Photo Contests which, I’ve been told, has helped numerous other photographers win photography contests of their own!
What imperfect creative project is waiting for you to start putting this idea into practice?
Technical Knowledge: Canon EOS 5D manual and Annie Leibovitz at Work
On Pinterest? 
