Quantity often has it's own Quality!
I was reading up on something around UX design the other day when I came across a blog titled “Quantity Has a Quality All Its Own”.
That got me thinking. What if the relationship between quantity and quality isn’t either-or… but situational? What if, in some cases, doing more is the way to better?
Here’s how I look at it — from everyday creative and personal life.
1. The Musician’s Fingers
A guitarist doesn’t become fluent by playing one perfect solo. They get there through messy jam sessions, sore wrists, and thousands of missed notes. Over time, the repetition builds feel, instinct, and flow.
Quantity builds muscle memory. Eventually, the hands stop thinking and starts to create music!
2. The Photographer’s Archive
As a photographer, I can say this with certainty: some of my fav shots weren’t the result of a perfect plan. They were found in the middle of repetition — shooting daily, experimenting, failing.
One photo might be okay. But a thousand bad ones? That’s when you learn. Get better. A voice. A point of view starts to emerge.
Quantity becomes clarity over time.
3. The Fitness Loop
Mental and physical wellness work the same way. It’s not about one epic workout or one breakthrough journaling session. It’s the quiet, consistent stuff — a short walk, choosing water over Coke, five mindful breaths between meetings.
You don’t notice the impact immediately. But give it a few weeks, and it starts to show. The repetition becomes resilience.
Montañés’s blog makes an important point though: quantity without intentionality can be shallow! You might gather mountains of data and still not know your users. But in health, art, and skill-building, quantity often is the path to quality. The daily doing, even when it feels boring, is where style shape, habits stack, and confidence compounds.
The truth is: quantity isn’t the enemy of quality. It can be the engine behind it. The key is knowing what you're after.
PS - I have always obsessed over quality, but I’ve seen it’s downside. The inner voice got too loud and stood on the way…
@the.photoguy
Rajarshi Mitra
