Perfectionism is the enemy of the multi-passionate creative.
Of course, it’s a problem for any creative, but for a serial hobbyist, perfectionism can be particularly stifling. Why? We tend to deep-dive into many topics or hobbies, and that often means perfection is out of the question. Jack of all, master of none.
When we can’t achieve perfection, we start to question what the point of it all is — and we might stop trying altogether.
I often stick with something just until I accomplish whatever it was that got me interested in the first place. Not perfect, just done. Then it’s onto the next (likely unrelated) thing! The perfectionist in me is fuming.
Why could I not just pick one thing and get really good at it?
In this post, we’ll work on letting go of perfectionism by reframing our experiences as multi-passionate creatives.
This post is part of my series Confessions of a Serial Hobbyist, where I explore and embrace what it means to be a multi-passionate creative. This is also where I share my hobbies outside of writing.
Continue exploring the series:
Don’t let perfectionism stop you from starting something new
I was often frustrated that I couldn’t just stick to one or two things and get proficient. Every time I veered in a new direction, a part of me felt like we were missing an opportunity.
An opportunity for what, though?
As a self-proclaimed serial hobbyist, a big part of living a creative life is about having flexibility. I need to follow my curiosities, to try new things, and to appreciate where they intersect or diverge. Apart from writing, my interests come and go like seasons.
There’s too much joy to be found in just exploring.
So, why not flip the script? I realized that I could lean into this tendency toward random deep-dives as a strength. Indulging in a new outlet frequently means I’ll end up knowing a little about a lot. I kind of love that for me — it honours my natural flow of curiosity.
It also creates a new opportunity: to make uncommon connections between it all.
Is that not the cornerstone of creativity?
Of course, it is incredible and admirable when someone dedicates their life to learning a craft. The work that comes from such dedication is amazing. It’s just not for everyone, and almost certainly not for me.
It sure is tempting to try, though.
Social media and the perfectionism trap
Some people find great joy in mastering one thing — others find great joy in knowing a little about a lot. Both have value, and neither should compare themselves to the other. Comparison is the thief of joy, as they say.
Most of us have at least a slight tendency toward perfectionism to contend with. If we’re going to spend our precious time learning a craft, we want to do the best we can, right? So when it comes to hobbies, sure, we do them for fun — but we also want to be good at them.
It’s not enough just to be good at them, though. We want to be able to show that we are good at them. If it’s not on your social media feeds, did it even really happen? I’m kidding… Sort of. I do think social media culture has caused us to forget how to do things just for the joy of doing them.
Adding to this: with the advent of social media, it can feel like there’s no excuse not to be good at things. No matter what you’re into, there are tutorials and experts abound. Even if you choose not to partake, the almighty algorithm will surely put them in front of you anyway. So much as think about starting a new hobby, and you’ll be inundated with the best and the brightest the web can find.
Which can be inspiring. Motivating, even!
It can also feed into the idea that what you’re seeing is what the average person can do (it’s not). It creates the illusion that this is what your favourite artist, writer, or breakdancer can bust out on any given afternoon (again, it’s not). We forget that what we’re consuming are curated pieces of the best a niche has to offer. We start to view everyone’s “best” as the societal “average”, making your “average”… Disappointingly sub-par.
Algorithms help us find what we’re looking for. They also make it clear to creators what people are not looking for. It’s discouraging to be frequently reminded that very few people are interested in things made well below “master” level. We feel this, even in our private creative practices.
Multiply it for the multi-passionate creatives.
It’s easy to free fall into this belief that a hobby isn’t worthwhile unless we can dedicate enough time and effort to get good at it. Otherwise, what’s the point?
So we might decide to be diligent and dedicate that time and effort after all. Is that what we really want, though? What if you’re not totally in love with the process for the long-haul? Then your hobby becomes more like a job you must dedicate yourself to.
Except you don’t need another job.
You need a creative outlet — something fun, just for you.
Exploring your creativity is the point
Yes, even if you don’t master the skill!
Thinking back to my struggles in writing concisely, I realized that if I was going to be an excellent blogger, it was going to take a lot of time and effort. Just the act of writing concisely itself takes a lot of work and an ironically large amount of time. Forget the ideation, getting into the mind of the reader, and time spent editing your work down.
To change my approach and my mindset was the way out of the perfectionism trap. I focus less on the end-goal, and more on the stuff that I want to try. I’m learning to learn how to leave it on the page, and to simply enjoy what I’m doing, right where my skill level is at.
It happens that this might be the fastest way to learn, anyways! My thoughts: “Learn by Doing” Works Best in the Absence of Perfectionism
I still work diligently on the blog, but I allow my focus to shift as needed, based on my interests. Sometimes I’m working on efficiency, other times technical skills, readability, or organization. Frequently, I’m just trying to get an idea out.
Exploring my creativity is the point, and I refuse to let perfectionism steal the joy from the process. (Although, skilled writing would be a wonderful side-benefit.)
Are you a multi-passionate creative? How do you keep perfectionism from stopping you before you’ve even started?
Remember that everyone’s creativity is unique, and the world needs creatives who pursue mastery just as much as it needs creatives who are willing to follow their curiosity, wherever it leads.
P.S. — I would love to stay connected! If you’d like a little encouragement to stay connected to your creativity, I write a monthly letter that does just that. Join here: Kindling for your creative spark – right to your inbox
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