Artists, Stop Trying To Be Good Enough

Maybe some people are motivated by trying to attain the elusive goal of being “good enough,” but worrying over this kills my creative energy.

Who am I trying to be “good enough” for anyway?

I’m all for getting better. Growing and improving is fun. If you enjoy doing something and you’re going to spend time doing it, why wouldn’t you want to get better at it?

But living for the approval and permission of others is a daunting task. I’m not sure I’m up for the challenge. In fact, I tend to be at my worst when I feel the pressure to be “good enough.”

For example, I’ve sung for thousands of people without a problem. I wasn’t nervous. It felt good. It felt fun. It felt energizing. It felt like what I was made to do.

But as soon as there is someone I want to prove something to, I start to falter. I’m not my best self. I’m self-conscious. And I feel drained afterward.

There have been times when I’ve wondered if I’m cursed. Every time I really want to do well, I end up feeling discouraged and overly critical of myself. I feel disappointed because my insecurities kept me from being free enough to give what I know I have to give.

I think it’s impossible to erase this nervous insecurity 100% of the time. My creative work matters to me. I feel vulnerable when I share my creative work because it’s personal. It’s an extension of who I am. I want my work to be valuable to others because I want to be valuable.

From Rather Than For

As a Christian, I try to live out of a sense of value rather than trying to earn my value. My value comes from the fact that God made me, He loves me, He gave up the life of His Son for me, and He has given me everything I have. Though I know these things, it’s hard to live from them all the time.

A Mental Hack

I learned another important brain hack from a few of my favorite creative process thinkers that continues to help me overcome the rut of a “good enough” mindset.

Instead of making something about me, I try to make gifts.

The point here is to stop showcasing what I can do and instead think about how I can give a gift to those engaging with my creative work.

An Example

Austin Kleon talks about this in his book “Keep Going” (highly recommend, by the way). And on his podcast, “The Creative Pep Talk,” Andy Pizza shared a great example of what it looks like to give a gift as a performer.

Andy recalled speaking at an event that he knew his friend was attending. Andy told a joke that he knew his friend would think was funny, and as it turns out, it was funny to his friend and other people as well.

Unlearning

Sometimes we have to unlearn a mental mindset we’ve adopted, and I think this is one of those times.

My kids naturally do this gift-giving thing with their creative work. No one had to teach them to think this way.

My two older kids like to draw and color and always make pictures for me. They’re excited to share them with me because they made them as a gift. My son is at the age where he is really interested in getting better and better at his drawing and coloring. His motivation for improvement isn’t based on a fear of being good enough. His motivation for getting better is his enjoyment of the work and his desire to make me the best gift possible.

A Pitfall of Creative Work

One major pitfall of creative work is getting caught up in wanting people to think we’re amazing. We forget that the real beauty and point of creative work is capturing and communicating beautiful things. Creative work is powerful because it helps us relate to others by expressing common experiences or showing us something we’ve never seen or considered before. Good creative work is meant to inspire, comfort, soothe, and, at times, expose and disturb.

Ask This Question

I try to ask myself, “how can this creative work be a gift to those I’m sharing it with?”

Doing this takes the focus off of me and puts me in a place of serving others.

Know Your Value

If you plan to make a living with your creative work, you will need to think like this anyway. Money is about an exchange of value. The only way to make a career out of your creative work is to figure out what value people receive from you.

Thinking this through can be tricky. Sometimes it’s best to start by thinking of why you paid money to attend that concert, buy that painting, hire that photographer, etc.

What was the benefit for you? What did you get in return? Hint: most of our purchases are emotional rather than practical.

The Problem Isn’t Critics

There will likely be critics of your work. People who don’t like what you’re creating and sharing. These mental hacks aren’t meant to erase the possibility of critics.

Just because the critics are there doesn’t mean we have to work for them.

In the example above, Andy didn’t write a joke that he hoped would change a critic’s mind. He wrote the joke for his friend.

Who is your work for?

We exhaust ourselves when we work for the critics, the industry elite, our heroes, and the gatekeepers. Work for your friends. For the people who will love and appreciate your work. For those who will be helped and served by what you do.

The more you know who these people are, the better your work will be because you’ll know how to make the best gifts for them.

Feedback Has Its Place

I’m not saying to reject all critique.

Feedback is an important part of growing and improving.

But I think it’s good to be mindful of where the feedback comes from.

There is a big difference between a critic’s feedback and a fan’s feedback. You might find a few helpful things to consider in the critic’s feedback, but a fan’s feedback is invaluable.

Impressive and Miserable

“Good enough” thinking is about being impressive. You probably are impressive. But you’re more likely to do your best work if you focus on giving rather than showcasing and proving.

History has documented proof that humans continue to be miserable even when bathing in approval and applause. It’s just not satisfying, and it’s never enough to quiet the little fear inside our heads telling us we’re not good enough.

Why shouldn’t we talk back and say, “who cares if I’m good enough? I’m making this for my friends.”

The Key To Your Best Work

Go make your best stuff. Make it for the people who will enjoy it. Make your creative work about them instead of making it about you. It’s a much more fulfilling way to live and a key to unlocking your best work.