Why Perfectionism Kills Creativity
Recently, I read Big Magic, a non-fiction book by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love. Big Magic centers around ways to help creative people live their fullest, most authentic lives. While the book is chock-full of pragmatic insights, one particular concept really stuck with me. The idea is this:
Sometimes, inspiration strikes. And sometimes, it doesn't.
Elizabeth refers to something known as eudaemonia, which essentially means to be cared for by some unforeseen, mystical force. Some may think of this as a sort of creative spirit guide, while others may think of it as “flow state”. However you see it, the truth is this: Big Magic will not always reveal itself to us. Sometimes, we may have to struggle to create.
“I work either way, you see - assisted or unassisted - because that is what you must do in order to live a fully creative life. I work steadily, and I always thank the process. Whether I am touched by grace or not, I thank creativity for allowing me to engage with it at all.” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
This passage allowed me to open my eyes to the understanding that while the creative process may not always be easy, it is still worth it to simply allow ourselves the pleasure of creation. I have spent years holding myself back from different hobbies and projects for fear of being less than perfect. The entirety of the book, but this passage in particular, has helped me to realize that creativity is a gift. To allow that gift to waste away is infinitely worse than creating something that may fall short of my tremendous expectations.
We often hold onto our perfectionism as if it is a quality to pride ourselves on, while it is in fact merely something to hide behind. It often prevents people from not only finishing, but even beginning a project in the first place. Elizabeth refers to perfectionism as “fear in high heels”. As perfectionists, we decide that whatever we produce will not be flawless, and thus talk ourselves out of producing it at all. Then, because we never work on cultivating our craft, of course it never reaches anything close to the perfection that we yearn for. How sad.
There were a couple of other points in Big Magic that stood out to me: One, if it is your calling to live a creative life, then you must create. If not to achieve success, then simply to preserve your sanity. When you are not actively creating something, you may be actively destroying something else. And two, no one is thinking about you. Really, they aren’t. Most people are far too concerned with their own problems to worry about yours.
After coming to the understanding that perfectionism is merely a way of holding me back in order to keep me safe, things began to fall into place. What was I so afraid of? After all, as Elizabeth states,