You can't tell it by looking at my house. (I have two cats who shed cat hair in clumps that turn into these odd ethereal tumbleweeds. I'm wondering if you can knit with cat hair?)
You wouldn't know it by looking at my nails. (Why is it that I have my most brilliant painting brainstorms when I am getting my nails done only to rush back home to get gesso in the crevices of my newly clipped cuticles.)
You can't tell it by looking at my art room. (I collect stuff to use in my work and I've never seen an art supply I didn't need to own.)
But in spite of appearances, I am a closet perfectionist.
Where my perfectionism shows up most is in starting or finishing a creative project.
My perfectionist thinking is this:
I will never do (my art/creative project/business/whatever) good enough, so why begin? OR
My project is never going to look/sound/taste/work/make money like I imagined, so why finish?
Perfectionism blocks creativity and is a real self-esteem buzz kill. (Not that I often have a self-esteem buzz, but I just liked thinking that somebody somewhere does.)
I have heard this advice and I want to pass it on because it has helped me a lot.
Done trumps perfect every time.
If I wait until I consider my art perfect then my story may never get written, my artwork never get finished, or my cat hair scarf never knitted.
"Done" is good enough.
"Done" recognizes that I am a perfectly fallible human being and I am allowed to make perfectly fallible stuff.
"Done" allows me to do better next time, not be locked in paralysis.
"Done" lets me be glad I actually started or finished something I said I was going to do which entitles me to a possible self-esteem buzz.