Marywood’s Art department gives students an opportunity to learn and explore new mediums, which is a great way to widen their knowledge and abilities. However, learning a new skill can often be difficult and discouraging, as a lot of artists shoot for perfectionism. Although perfectionism can provide motivation for success, it can also mean “having unrealistic expectations for yourself, holding yourself to perfect standards, and being hard on yourself when you don’t meet those expectations” (Kent, 2023). These high expectations can have a heavy impact on an artist’s confidence, ability to complete projects, and overall mental health. Perfectionism can cause burnout, stress, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, procrastination, frustration, and relationship issues.
How are you supposed to deal with these emotions? It is not easy to cope with overwhelming perfectionism and high expectations. A good way to start would be to reframe your way of thinking, surround yourself with a good support system, change your perspective on being perfect, practice self-compassion, and seek help when necessary (Kent, 2023). It also helps to set achievable goals, set time limits, and avoid procrastination (WebMD). It’s important to understand that improvement only comes from trial and error, and practice. You are allowed to make mistakes and fail. It does not take away from who you are or your value as a person.
Perfectionism is something that I have personally struggled with my entire life. This semester, I challenged myself to take classes that go outside of my comfort zone, like ceramics and painting. Despite being frustrated with not easily picking up on these new-to-me mediums, I make sure to remind myself that failure allows me to learn and grow, and that it does not make me a “bad” artist. Shown above are my recent pieces in ceramics and oil painting. I would not have created these pieces that I am proud of without my failed ones. Even though I am proud of them, I know they are not perfect, and I am ok with that!
You are allowed to make mistakes and fail. It does not take away from who you are or your value as a person.
References
Kent, J. A. (2023, November 6). Perfectionism might be hurting you. here’s how to change your relationship to achievement. Harvard Summer School. https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/perfectionism-might-be-hurting-you-heres-how-to-change-your-relationship-to-achievement/
WebMD. (n.d.). Struggling to overcome perfectionism? how to overcome perfectionism. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/how-to-overcome-perfectionism