Writing Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

Everyone has a desire to be perfect, whether it's in drawing or writing. After all, it's not a bad thing if your work looks impressive to others. However, the desire for perfection often makes it difficult to even begin. Even if you start, you may find yourself constantly wanting to revise, leading to stagnation.

Everyone is clumsy at the beginning. If you acknowledge that, you can focus on the desire to accomplish something rather than the desire for perfection, and grow step-by-step. And who knows, my work, which looks like a cat to me, might turn out to be like a lion when it's released into the world?

▶ Question: What if I didn't have to be perfect?

Answer: I would be much better off than I am now.

▶ We imagine ourselves in our first acting class or writing our clumsy first short story or drawing a terrible picture and think, 'I'm going to look like a fool.' This is because we evaluate our first steps using the same standards as masterpieces by great artists.

-Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way, Gyeongdang

▷ When we dream of a perfect state, we feel like we are making an effort and living well. We may have been busy worrying, blaming ourselves, and regretting, but we are satisfied that we lived diligently. Therefore, those who value feelings and emotions often fall into perfectionism.

-Hong-gyun Yun, Mind Endurance, 21st Century