Why Creatives Should Prioritize Producing Over Polishing

We overestimate polish and underestimate momentum. Most of the breakthroughs in my career happened because I shipped something that wasn’t quite ready. Not perfect. Not final. Just done. - A quick post in 2020 that reached 30 million people. - A draft I nearly deleted that brought in three clients. - A late-night graphic I designed that inspired me to learn Illustrator. Every time, the world reminded me that the fears I had about my work not being good enough never mattered. Here are 10 reasons why done always beats perfect: 1. There’s no such thing as perfect. 2. Imperfect work still opens doors. 3. Speed is a competitive advantage. 4. Action leads to improvement. 5. Perfection is a stalling tactic. 6. You can still fix it later. 7. Real feedback arrives only after you publish. 8. Small wins build confidence to take bigger swings. 9. Done keeps you from polishing things no one will notice. 10. Shipping early exposes how unimportant most of your worries were. If you’re sitting on something, waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect version, take this as your sign: Hit publish. Ship it. Move. Momentum will take you further than perfection ever will. 🙏🏻

Stop getting bogged down in the excuses: not enough talent, no fancy art degree, wrong gear, wrong time, etc. The truth?  Sure, they may be real obstacles– but if you’re ready to stop dreaming and start MAKING, you’ll find a way around all of them. So if you’re ready to get unstuck, here’s a few non-negotiable truths about the creative process: 1. Quantity IS the new quality Forget perfection. Your mission is to PRODUCE. Stop endlessly tweaking your setup or "researching" and just MAKE. THE. THING. Sheer output is your only goal right now. If you’re expecting polished brilliance from day one, forget it. Your first attempts are probably going to be messy. Like, murky-brown-water-from-an-old-tap messy. So get comfortable with it. 2. It’s OK to suck at first Give yourself explicit permission to be terrible at first. No judgment. Just get words on paper, paint on canvas, code in the editor. Do you think my first photos were good? Hell no. The first version of CreativeLive? A Wordpress site and a webcam. You’re probably reading this because of one or both of those things, my creative (ahem…) “talent” or because I’ve built businesses that have generated 100’s of millions in revenue. And guess what: both started out as complete head-scratchers. 3. Look for “minimum viable progress” Still fantasizing about that 12-part space opera before you’ve written a 3-minute sketch? Park it (for now). What's the absolute SMALLEST, most basic version of something you can finish and (maybe) share? A blog post, a single sketch, one useful function for an app– whatever it is, just get it done. Completion, not perfection, is the goal for now. 4. The self-doubt never goes away That voice screaming that you’re not good enough, that it’s stupid, that you’ll do it later? It’s your primitive biology trying to protect you from the perceived "threat" of putting something new into the world. And it’s a part of human psychology. So get used to it, because it’s never going to disappear.  Recognize it, then ignore it. “Damn Chase… this sounds hard. I don’t know if I’ve got it in me.” To be clear, all of the above isn't about trashing your ambitions or snuffing out your desire to do big, bold, amazing things. On the contrary, it’s about forging those ambitions in the only fire that counts: consistent, imperfect action. Your skills, your unique voice, that "genius" you're chasing – it doesn’t just appear. It's BUILT. Rep by rep, sh*tty draft by sh*tty draft. → Now it’s your move. You’re out of excuses. The pros aren't waiting for a muse; they're in the workshop, making and doing. So don't just nod at this post. Don't "save it for later." Pick ONE ridiculously small piece of that dream project. Give yourself permission for it to be messy, imperfect, even a bit embarrassing. And then DO IT. Today. – 👋 Hi, I’m Chase 💪 Lifelong creator who helps other creators thrive 📸 Award-winning photographer, exited founder & bestselling author

“I’m just not ready to launch yet.” Sound familiar? Perfectionism often disguises itself as preparation — when it’s actually the thing holding you back. You keep refining every pixel, rewriting every word, convinced you’re just making it better. In reality? You might be spending days, months, even years on things your clients might not even want. It’s natural to set a high bar for quality and integrity. You definitely don’t want to publish crap. But perfectionism? It’s an energy drain. I used to spend four hours drafting a single post because I was tweaking every detail. Now? I’m down to about 30 minutes. Partly because I’m more organized, sure — but mainly because I’m not afraid to hit “publish” anymore. I’m not worried someone "may not resonate." I no longer fear criticism. Here’s what perfectionism actually does: 🚫 Limits risk-taking: You want every project to embody your values, yet the need for things to be perfect can keep you from trying new, daring approaches. 🚫 Stifles creativity: Creativity thrives on experimentation, even if it’s a little messy at first. 🚫 Leads to overwork: Tweaking and refining repeatedly often adds hours without adding value. At some point, the extra polish doesn’t serve your mission — it only wastes your time and drains your energy. 🚫 Slows growth: The offer you keep reworking, the social post that never feels “ready,” the client emails that sit in drafts for days… each one delays connection with the people who need your work now. The solution? 🙌 Embrace “good enough” as progress. 🙌 Show up, share your ideas, and let refinement happen in stages. 🙌 Work with clients in a co-creative way, so you’ll know exactly what they want when you build your next offer. The real difference you make lies in showing up, not in achieving perfection. So, tell me — are you a determined perfectionist, a recovering perfectionist, or ready to finally let go and trust “good enough”? Create on and prosper, 🐾 Jessica 🌿 — a recovering perfectionist #progressoverperfection

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. For years, I thought 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 were the only thing that mattered. Perfect animations ➤ Clean typography ➤ Smooth transitions. I was obsessed with polishing the Creation. But something was missing! My work was good but the opportunities were not. One day a mentor told me a line I still remember: 📌 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧! That hit me harder than any tutorial or course ever could because it was true. ✖ I was not lacking talent. ✔️ I was lacking visibility. So I stopped hiding behind my projects↓: ➦ I started sharing more. ➦ Showing the process. ➦ Talking about the journey. ➦ Posting even when I did not feel ready. And that trust changed everything for me: ➦ Clients started reaching out ➦ Conversations turned into opportunities ➦ My network grew faster And the momentum finally kicked in 😊. If you are a creative and reading this then do not wait for perfect. Start sharing today. Your future self will thank you.

Perfectionism looks productive… until it quietly becomes procrastination. Over the years, I’ve realized that most delays don’t come from lack of capability—they come from over-preparing, over-editing, and overthinking. We convince ourselves we’re “getting ready,” but in reality, we’re stuck polishing work that’s already good enough, gathering more information than we’ll ever use, or waiting for the perfect moment that never arrives. What changed everything for me was a simple mindset shift: 🔹 80% ready is ready. 🔹 Action creates clarity quicker than planning. 🔹 Momentum beats perfection—every single time. The moment we let go of the idea of a flawless first draft, work starts to flow. Decisions get easier. Progress becomes visible. And confidence grows from execution, not hesitation. If you’re feeling stuck: Start with one imperfect step. Block out distraction. Time-box your research. Capture ideas—don’t carry them. Stop switching lanes—start moving forward. Because the truth is simple: 👉 You don’t need a perfect plan. You need movement. 👉 You don’t need more time. You need fewer mental loops. 👉 You don’t need absolute certainty. You need the courage to begin. Small actions compound. Momentum builds mastery. And progress, not perfection, is what shapes results. Here’s to shipping the work, not overthinking it. Here’s to choosing execution over endless preparation. If you relate to this, you’re already on the right path—because noticing the pattern is the first step to breaking it. Follow:- Sagar Rahangdale for more AI tools, tech hacks and career growth strategies!