How to turn the tables on hollow perfectionism and better your life
Have you ever struggled with perfectionism?
I sure have.
For me, it starts with a single word—”Studio.”
Studio is Life
No one can quite prepare you for the intense, full-tilt architecture school experience.
Imagine, for a moment, an expansively open space. It’s filled with rows and rows of wide-format drafting desks. You know the ones. We see Architects use them all the time in our favorite movies—white table tops fixed at an angle to help them draw. As an architecture student, this space is where we learn, draw, eat, sleep, and effectively live our college life.
In effect, Studio is life.
But Studio isn’t just the space itself.
For the uninitiated, Studio is the fundamental class we’ll find in any archi student’s schedule. It’s likely the reason you would go to architecture school in the first place.
It’s where all the magic happens—drawing, making models, impromptu dance parties, sleeping.
And it’s not the typical 1-hour seminar a “normie” student might have on campus. No, Sir. Studio is a 3 or 4 hour grind. It’s the time when we work on a single project over the course of several months.
Then we have the pleasure of receiving feedback from our Professors—academics and licensed professionals ready to tear the work apart (sometimes literally) if we’re not careful.
A rite of passage, Studio is intentionally designed to separate those from the program who can “make it” in the profession from those who can’t.
You’re Missing the Point
The first architecture project in Studio I ever made was deceptively simple.
We were asked to complete a single task—build a perfect 6" cube out of museum board (I.e. a thin, white, cardboard-like material). It seemed straightforward enough. But museum board is one of the most unforgiving materials for mistakes. And we were just about to find that tiny detail the hard way.
At the end of three days, we had our first critique. In an instant though, we could tell it was not going to go the way any of us had ever imagined.
“What is this?!”
“You all have to start over!”
“Work on your craft!”
“You’re missing the point of this exercise!”
“Do better!”
The experience brought several of my newfound friends to actual tears.
It was a test we couldn’t win. The white of the museum board was easily scuffed by stray knife cuts and dirtied by any drop of extra glue. The thin quality of the material made it difficult to attach the other pieces from one edge to another.
The professors knew the impossible difficulty of making something “perfect.” Nothing was ever going to be perfect, but that wasn’t the point. Even the most “perfect” of the final cubes we made had a minor deficiency or two.
The true lesson of the exercise was to teach us the value of exceptional craft and to strive for better, not perfection.
My Far from Perfect Start
As with my first project, my first semester was far from perfect.
I struggled to find my footing. When the final grades were posted, a deep sense of shock and horror washed over me as I realized that my 4.0 GPA from High School had now plummeted to a 2.4. The kid who had an “A+” average for most of his life was staring back at a solid “C.”
The first steps of my idyllic career as an Architect were proving to be more challenging than I had anticipated.
Rather than deter my confidence though, that first semester left a lasting impression on me and gave me the jolt of inspiration I needed to do better.
Five years later, I walked across the stage at the graduation ceremony with my head held high. I had transformed my college experience with hard work, determination, and a lot of coffee into something I was very proud of. I left that day with my Bachelor’s of Architecture Degree (graduating Magna Cum Laude) and a special commendation to recognize “Design Excellence” in my final Thesis Project.
As I looked around, the class of friends that had started with me all those years ago had dwindled by almost thirty percent.
“We were the lucky ones,” I thought.
It Will Get Better
I tell this story to say, that creativity is a muscle. It’s not an objective truth.
By working on our skills a little bit each day, each week, each year, we evolve. We become better at the craft.
In the many days since my time in studio, I’ve made more progress than I ever could have imagined. But that progress was only possible because I learned a valuable lesson early on from a little, white box—progress, not perfection is the only way to make it in this world.
3 Ways to Adopt Progress Over Perfection Into Your Life
Let Go — For anyone dealing with perfectionism, the worst thing they can hear is, “just let go of perfect.” That’s like telling someone, “don’t breathe.” Unfortunately, letting go of our expectations is the most effective way to find creative happiness. It’s not about letting go of your standards completely. It’s about allowing room for nuance. It’s allowing for lessons to be learned in the failures so we can be better on the next project.
Get Messy — One of my favorite authors of all time, Austin Kleon, is an advocate for all things creative. He stays creative himself by letting go of expectations and just making things. He sketches. He collages. He does it all. Austin doesn’t judge the work based on the expectation of its look so much as the progress he’s made in his creative process. Those ideas then become insights. They become blog posts. They become best-selling books.
Look Inward — Who do you want to be in five years? Does that future you have a perfect life? What is perfect, really? No matter what you do now, the future you will still struggle with problems. But what if you chose to create a life for yourself that didn’t hinge on perfect? What if you chose to work a little bit each day crafting your experience of living in the moment? What if you simply looked for better, for little bits of improvement?
Life isn’t about perfection. It’s about putting your best effort forward, learning from criticism, and trying again. Honor the craft, but don’t let it stop you from better.
As a new class of future Architects and Creatives start their college journeys, let’s wish them the best and hope they find their own better.
Recent Finds
Ali Abdaal — How To Design Your Career For Happiness w/ Samantha Clarke (YouTube / Podcast) | An endlessly fascinating discussion on career path, burnout, and personal reinvention. This is a must watch/listen interview for anyone trying to get a better handle on their professional life.
Jocko Willink — Motivation is a Feeling that Comes and Goes (Reel) | An inspiring quote from a longer discussion with Chris Williamson. Jocko brings the fire and always makes me question whether I’m focused on the motivation of starting a task or the discipline to just do it anyway.
Darren McKee — Develop a Kudos Folder (LinkedIn) | Some sage advice from Darren here about reminding ourselves what we’ve been able to accomplish on the journey of life. Check out the post and start working on your own Kudos Folder. We all need a reminder of the good things from time to time.
Quote of the Week
“If you wait until you feel ready to take on a new challenge, you might never pursue it at all. Few people wake up suddenly feeling prepared to lead or create. They become prepared by taking the leap anyway. Our greatest regrets are not our failures, but our failures to try.”
—Adam Grant
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
