Perfectionism as Process

Updated On: September 18, 2025
As a designer and craftsperson nothing ever feels ‘good enough’, or even ‘finished’. You might know this too … . I can always find something to improve – something is always up for critique. Growing up, I have come to know this as ‘perfectionism’ and people often, with the best intentions, told me to abandon it. We are taught to let go of perfectionism. And the sentiment and intention is well understood. I agree to it. These days, I wonder what life would look like if I never come to know it as ‘perfectionism’, instead as ‘process’. These days, I am learning perfectionism as process. As part of the way I work – yes, nothing will never be ‘good enough’ or finished … simply because that is the practice. It is a devotion to making. It will always be improved upon, because we are improving upon it and through it, as a person who crafts. That is why more and more I grow closer to the language of practice – everything is practice. Of course, we are ‘perfectionists’ – the learning is sometimes … we have to look up to the bigger practice. The practice might not be how we improve on one … pant, for example, but through the iteration of many pants. We have to let go of the creation of that moment, so that we can improve upon the next. In this way, it is never finished – not the product, but the practice.
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