Perfectionism in Composition: The Ultimate Goal Creating Impassable Roadblocks
I am very much a perfectionist, and this comes out in almost everything I do. From the simplest tasks at work to my artistic endeavors, I strive to make everything the best I can. But where do we as artists draw the line between a healthy goal of achieving beauty (and even potentially a masterpiece) and the inhibiting and self-destructive pursuit of perfection? Striving to write beautiful and powerful music has been my goal since I started composing many years ago. However, I've recently realized that my own perfectionist nature has made me freeze up when dealing with the compositions I've been striving to write. I currently have around 15 or more unfinished projects in various stages of development. Each one was started with enthusiasm but has since become stagnant, and the main reason behind this is the desire to get everything "right" on it. I pondered about this the other night while driving home. I was listening to a piece on the radio and wa...