Don’t be afraid to do bad work. I was watching an interview with Austin Kleon, an artist, and he said that everyone should create something bad. His reasoning was that so many people won’t even try to do something creative because they believe it has to be perfect. So, go and do something bad, because it takes off all pressure to make it good. Paint a picture and try to make it as bad as you can, or try to take a terrible picture, or create a new embarrassing dance move. It actually becomes quite a challenge because you have to try to be bad just like you have to try to be good. Years ago I set up a booth for a client at an art fair and we had people paint while blindfolded. So all of the pressure to make it perfect was off. It was a level playing field because even the artists at the event had never tried to paint blindfolded. People laughed and giggled and everyone just enjoyed the moment instead of thinking about perfection. I loved watching people look over all the different art pieces and discuss how great some of them turned out by sheer luck.
I have put off doing so many things because I can’t stand to not be perfect. I feel like I have to have all the answers before I even attempt to do something. But I’m going to challenge myself to just start putting things out, even if they are bad and learning along the way. This blog took me years to start. It took me another few years to get the courage to do the video clips that I’ve started posting. Now it’s time to start writing a book and creating a blog. I’m really happy when I can be creative. Even if it’s not good a first, it’s bound to get better. The joy will come from just expressing myself. I also signed up for a self photography class. I needed something to fill all this time not traveling, shopping, or driving around! The famous marketing guru Seth Godin always pushed the idea of just “Ship It”- it’s never going to be perfect, and if you wait too long then it won’t be innovative or relevant when you finally put it out.
What have you been afraid to do or try? Is there something you can do badly? Is there something you can start? Everyone starts somewhere. It’s time to get over your imposter syndrome of feeling like you will never be good enough to do anything. Maybe trying to do something and purposely make it bad will at least get you to take action on something you want to do. Taking any action is always the key in moving closer and closer to your goals. Let me know what you try this week. You can see my first self photo for my class above. Hopefully soon I have a link to a new podcast to share as well.
Let’s get creating!
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