There's a story from “Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking,” by David Bayles and Ted Orland, that I think you're gonna love.
Picture this: a group of potters gets split into two teams.
Team One is given a straightforward task – churn out as many pots as they can. It's a numbers game for them. The more pots they make, the better they do. But for Team Two, the game's different. They have to focus all their energy on making just one pot. But not just any pot – the best, most flawless pot they could possibly make.
Now, you'd think the folks trying to make the perfect pot would end up with the best result, right? But here's the twist: it was actually the quantity-over-quality Team One who ended up creating the superior pots. How did that happen? It's simple, really. By making pot after pot, they had more opportunities to learn from their mistakes, tweak their technique, and essentially get better and better with each pot they made.
Meanwhile, our quality-focused Team Two? They found themselves stuck in a cycle of theory and perfectionism. They spent so much time planning the ‘perfect' pot that they missed out on the actual hands-on experience needed to improve their skills.
So, what can we take away from Bayles and Orland's fascinating tale? It's this: often, it's in doing, in creating, where we find improvement and mastery. Aspiring for perfection is great, but it shouldn't stop you from actual practice. Remember, my friend, we learn by doing, not just by thinking or planning.
Quantity leads us to quality in the most surprising ways!
