Apr 12 2009
Distance and Perspective
It's All About Perspective
When you finish a project – whether it is a 10 second YouTube video or a 300 page book – set it aside.
You are too close to judge. The good, the bad, and the parts that could be better will all look different tomorrow.
Today, you’ve poured your soul into your work. The mind sees what the heart desires.
With distance, today’s glaring defects fade into the background. Stunningly clever phrases lose their luster and are revealed as distractions.
With time, emotions cool and you can view your work dispassionately, as a stranger will.
Does this shot work? Does that sentence really make sense? How can I edit this three hour mess into a tight, coherent 45 minute jewel?
Cuts that could never be made in the heat of creation are easy to identify six weeks later.
Of course, that means you cannot leave everything to the last minute. If you are an adrenaline junkie who thrives on the pressure of deadlines, you have made the decision to trade the rush that comes from averting disaster for the quality that comes with calm reflection.
Is that a trade you would make consciously?
And, lest the perfectionists get too smug, remember: at least the deadliner gets the work done. 60% of something good is still better than 100% of nothing perfect.
How do you balance your need to get it right and get it done? Have you gone back, after a year or more, and looked at an old project and barely recognized it because it was so different than your memory?
Photo by ExtraNoise Released under Creative Commons
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