There are books that you read once and never open again. There are even more books that you start to read and somehow never finish. I have a lot of them. And there are book with a lot of images in them, so there is not so much to read. I have a lot of them, too. But then, there are a few books which tend to pay you a visit from time to time. Because you are reminded of them, or you walk by and see them sitting on the shelf – and somehow, you just can’t help but start reading a bit. I have such a book that I love coming back to at the moment.
It’s by James Victore and it’s called “Feck Perfuction”.
James Victore is an artist, art director, and designer from New York City who is known for speaking his mind and creating expressive, rebellious pieces, often including rough, bold calligraphy. Feck Perfuction is his manifesto for having “a fucking opinion“ and making things that are wildly creative. Against normalcy, against assimilation, and against Feck Perfuction is a collection of 77 lessons learned, of dangerous ideas, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and challenging. Yet also full of wisdom, humor, optimism, possibility, and confidence. Each lesson is short and snackable, and many are illustrated with collages, drawings, and his signature brush lettering. The main lesson of the book – though definitely not the only one of this nature – is that perfection is not only a myth, it actually often holds us back from starting and finishing our best work:
On its surface, perfectionism seems like it would be a professional advantage, a creative accelerator. But really, as a driver, it hits the brakes more often than the gas. Perfectionism stops you from starting projects—or even relationships – because you are not ready. It stops you from finishing projects because they are never quite right. “When it’s perfect!” Is our defense, but this habitual overthinking leaves us stymied, unable to get over ourselves and just move.
Should you strive for excellence? Of course. Pay attention to details? Yes. But never let “perfect” stop progress. You know what’s better than perfect? Done. Done is better than perfect.
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This is the 20th post of my 100 days of writing series. You can find a list of all posts here.
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