Realtalk about Perfectionism

In this post, I wanted to touch upon my biggest struggle in photography, which might also be a problem for others as well, in different areas of their life, which is: Perfectionism. It's undeniable that I am one of those people, who gets anxious when their creation doesn't fulfill their very high expectations or nitpick about every detail which might need improvement, often forgetting about the bigger picture, or just straight up not appreciating the end result in itself. 

I often felt that after a shoot, I browse through the pictures, and end up disappointed, because I find mistakes, missed opportunities, or basically anything which leads to me not liking those pictures. Does this mean those pictures are objectively bad? Most likely not. Is it realistic that every upcoming shoot will be my best one so far? DEFINITELY NOT. This critical mindset, and the chase after the flawless lead to unhappiness and anxieties, which certainly don't help on my way to becoming a better photographer, or person.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you should ignore the mistakes you made, and not learn from those. It's more like looking at a big cake with a piece missing and complaining about the missing piece while getting hung up on it. I learned through my own journey that this “perfectionistic” approach is very pessimistic and negative too, barely leading to improvements over the long run, even though that might be the main point behind that mindset. I am pretty sure that I am not the only one dealing with this toxic mindset, so here are some solutions to this that worked for me.

Might sound contradicting, but DON´T have any expectations in the first place and be spontaneous! This doesn't mean that you should drop your standards, or give less than a hundred percent, just enjoy the process itself more, and be open-minded to the results! Not having expectations drops a ton of pressure, you might not even notice unless you let them go!

Also, something to keep in mind is, that no one will view your work as critically as you do, probably (and most likely, don't care either, sorry to tell you). 

Here is a rule that makes just too much sense when you think about it:

Quantity leads to Quality!

The more you do something, the better you get at it so to speak, just trust your process, and don't get caught up on mistakes you make on your way! 

Lastly, be proud of yourself! If you don't love what you do, or your work, then what is even the point? If you are a perfectionist, like me, you are most likely doing a much better job than you think anyway, so lay back for a second, and congratulate yourself! Well done! 

I hope this little “real talk” gave you an insight into the way I deal with my fear of not meeting my expectations and the pressure of chasing perfection. It is a long process, at least for me, to let this mindset go, but it will be worth it long-term, no doubt about that. Up to this day, I am still a very critical person, but I try to be less hard on myself, and enjoy the cake, even without that missing piece!