The Art of Good Enough

George Martin, the iconic Beatles producer, often referred to as the Fifth Beatle, was in John Lennon’s apartment one night, chatting about the good old days.  Lennon remarked to him that he would like to re-record the entire Beatles catalogue, to which George replied “What about Strawberry Fields?”  Strawberry Fields Forever was George Martin’s favorite Beatles song, and became one of the most popular songs.

Lennon responds, “Especially Strawberry Fields.”

Imagine standing before your current project. See all the parts you've been obsessing over - the details that keep you up at night, the elements you keep tweaking. Like Lennon with Strawberry Fields, you'll probably always see things you'd want to change. That's the nature of creative work.

Picture a beloved space you've visited - maybe a friend's home, a favorite hotel, or a restaurant that feels just right. Regardless of how perfect this is, I guarantee you that whoever designed it or brought it to life sees flaws and would like to change things.  But you likely don’t see them as flaws - they're are just part of what you like about the space.

Creative energy is like a river.  There is a reason they call it being in a flow state.   Perfectionism is like building a dam, stopping all the flow because it wants to nitpick every detail. 

Imagine what it will feel like to complete  your project. Not perfectly - beautifully. Not flawlessly - authentically. John Lennon wanted to rerecord his songs.  But I’m glad he didn’t.. The key isn't perfection - it's completion.

There are so many choices that could be the right one, especially in the world of anything visual.

If you feel uncertain, just borrow a palette from another project you really admire.  Find colors, materials and textures that work together.  If they work in one space, they will probably work in yours.

Your project doesn't need to be perfect. It will never be.  It just needs to be real.