There’s a brilliant story from Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland that highlights an unexpected truth about mastery.
Imagine this: a pottery class is split into two groups.
- Group One is told to focus on quantity. Their only goal? Make as many pots as possible.
- Group Two is told to focus on quality. Their task? Make just one pot—but it must be perfect.
Now, you’d assume the quality-focused group would produce the best work. But that’s not what happened. The quantity group ended up making the superior pots.
Why? Because they practised more. They experimented, made mistakes, refined their technique, and improved with each pot. Meanwhile, the quality group spent too much time theorising and aiming for perfection—without actually making enough pots to develop real skill.
The Lesson? Progress Comes From Doing
The more you create, the better you get. Perfectionism might feel like a noble goal, but it often holds you back. Improvement comes through action, not endless planning.
✅ Write the blog post, even if it’s not perfect.
✅ Launch the business, even if it’s not polished.
✅ Make the art, even if it’s flawed.
Mastery isn’t about waiting until you’re ‘ready.’ It’s about making more pots. Start creating—quality will follow
Sarah x
