The story of how I couldn't submit a single piece for two weeks because I was trying to make it perfect
Submit it even if it's only 70%. Whether it's 100% is for the reviewers to decide.
There was a time when I couldn't submit a single piece for two weeks.
It wasn't that I was slacking off.
In fact, it was the opposite; I was fixing the same piece every single day.
I'm bothered by the color here.
I fix it a little.
Once I fix it, another part starts to bother me.
When I leave it overnight and look at it again, this time, everything bothers me.
I'll submit it once it's done properly.
While I was thinking that, two weeks passed, and the number of pieces I submitted was zero.
As I wrote in this article, for me, "submitting once it's done properly" meant the same thing as "never submitting at all."
Even after 10 years, this hasn't been cured.
Perfectionism is probably a feature rather than a personality trait.
It doesn't go away.
However, this time, there was one thing different from 10 years ago.
I was able to notice it in the second week.
10 years ago, I would have continued this for months, burned out, and quit.
This time, I realized after two weeks, "Oh, I'm doing that thing again."
I think I was able to notice it because I've been putting 10 years' worth of failures into words in this series.
Failures that have been put into words can be called by name when they recur.
After I realized it, I made one rule.
"Submit it at 70%. Whether it's 100% is for the reviewers to decide."
Come to think of it, Adobe Stock has a review process.
Even if I think it's not perfect yet, if it passes the review, that means it's of a quality that can be placed on the market.
Conversely, even a piece I think is perfect can be rejected.
In other words,the standard for 100% was never in my hands to begin with.
If that's the case, my job isn't to make it perfect, but to get it to the point of submission.
I changed the definition of completion from "when I'm satisfied" to "when I submit it for review."
Once I did that, I was able to start working again.
Perfectionism cannot be cured.
However, you can redraw the line for 'where your work ends'.
In my case, my side of the line is 'submitting for review at 70 points'.
I leave the judgment of 100 points on the other side of the line to the reviewers and whoever downloads it.
I think the way to draw that line differs from person to person.
But 'not setting the 100-point standard within yourself' is probably a rule that can be used anywhere for people who tend to get stuck in perfectionism.
Including this way of drawing the line, I will summarize all my operational rules in the next article.
If you'd like, please take a look at my Adobe Stock as well.
https://stock.adobe.com/jp/contributor/207652252/sally%20san
