Progress >>> Perfection!
Too often, we (the creative lot) find ourselves caught in the pursuit of perfection—each photo must be unique, each plan flawless, each story remarkable… However, over time I have realised value of "Progress" is much greater than "Perfection" for the mankind!
Get that drilled in your head. When an artist begins, the canvas may look rough, the strokes uneven, and the colors not quite right. But through layers of paint, adjustments, and revisions, the artwork evolves. If the artist were to wait for each stroke to be perfect before moving forward, the painting would never be completed. It's the process of building, experimenting, and improving that brings the art to life, showing that progress through practice is what truly leads to mastery, not the pursuit of immediate perfection. This process teaches us that progress is often messy, unorganised and chaotic and it is essential to the creation of anything significant.
I started publishing this Notes because I thought, it would help me remember my creative process. And if it helps me, it might help others! There must be millions of people struggling to be perfect all the time and it just holds you back from doing the things that matter!
Don't get me wrong, striving for “Perfection” is absolutely necessary to raise your bar and hone your skills and it’s almost a morale obligation, but it should not be at the cost of “Progress”! Think like Virat when he is chasing, keep the score board ticking with 1s and 2s, even when the 4s and 6s are hard to come by. Look at his stats, you eventually cross the line more often than not!
If you are building a new business launch a minimum viable product (MVP). Am sure you have watched enough Shark Tanks! Many successful startups begin by launching an MVP—a simplified version of their product with just enough features to attract early customers and gather feedback. Instead of waiting to develop a perfect, fully-featured product, entrepreneurs prioritise getting something functional into the market quickly. They learn from real user experiences, iterate, and improve over time. This approach emphasises continuous progress and adaptation, rather than striving for a flawless launch, which can delay or even lead to shelving things for later...
@the.photoguy
Rajarshi Mitra
