The impossibility of perfection

[ruthr]

I keep seeing messages from people who are critical of critiques but appear not critical of their own music and can't help feeling this is an immature approach.I can think of only one piece I've worked on that I am happy with every aspect of (and even with that I remember thinking the mandolin was "mikey" at the time). There are always problems and if you make it "perfect" then it can lack soul (a new problem). Am I interpreting the posts wrongly?Would love to hear your opinions.Ruth

[scounter72]

Hi Ruth,As a former self defeating perfectionist, I have lots of thoughts about getting the balance right when it comes to perfectionism in art. In the simplest sense, if you have created the perfect song / painting / book then you can stop creating - if being perfect is the goal, right? Ha ha. I doubt that will happen to many of us here I'm not sure to which posts you refer specifically, however, that's not important. Striving for perfection (I prefer excellence as a standard, these days) is more essential than achieving it. To that end, I always try my best to do excellent work - sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm less happy, never totally satisfied, though. Sometimes, can't even say what's wrong, just that ya know something is Irrespective of what each of us considers to be 'successful' or 'viable' in this line of work / entertainment, the vote has to go to the public in the end. That may be someone on this forum, a family member, a contest judge, the general public at large....I agree that some people can be very prickly when receiving negative criticism, and it takes a lot of courage and honesty to put your music out there to be shot at. Ultimately, though, this will only cultivate a healthy environment for musicians to converse, share ideas, thoughts, develop their craft and achieve their ambitions. Polite honesty and constructive criticism over banal flattery, every time.I haven't agreed with everything that people have said about my music, but I listen and digest. If I've asked for an opinion, I hope to get a truthful one. If I don't like it, I can choose to ignore it. If I don't like it, but it's the truth, then I should use it for betterment. That, of course, can be easier said than done.

[mazz]

The concept of perfection presupposes that there is some absolute standard of perfection that exists out there in the world somewhere. I don't think there is, I feel that it's different for everyone.There are standards of quality, however, and those are different depending on the person and the situation.What seems to happen here often is that a person feels that they have achieved a high standard of quality in their music only to have it returned because it doesn't meet the standard of the listing (in the opinion of the screener, of course). The trick, IMO, is to learn what the rules of the game and the standards of the various markets, and learn how to hear our own music in that light. One of the best ways to learn this, is to put it out there and request feedback from people that have experience in the industry, are familiar with the standards, and are emotionally unattached to our music. The kiss of death for a person who wants to sell their music to the licensing market is to ignore feedback from the industry. For an artist trying to garner an audience from the general public, it might be a different story, but for a commercial writer, learning to navigate the waters of the marketplace, it's essential to really learn how the game is played. In order to do that, I feel that it's necessary to learn to step back from the music and emotionally detach from it once it's done and calmly absorb the feedback. Not all feedback is good and appropriate, but it too needs to be measured against the needs and standards of the market.It takes practice.Perfection doesn't exist. I suggest having ultra high standards of quality and then figure out how to make the music appropriate for the need.Mazz

[ruthr]

You two certainly have a way with words (and logic).Thanks,Ruth

[scounter72]

Ha ha. It's such a great topic, Ruth! Would be a good one face to face to face....probably comes up at the rally all the time I really like Mazz's points re: matching the need. That's something I have to work very hard at over the first year, at least. In fact, I'm gonna post some new tunes up now, and garner some feedback to help me on my way

[ibanez468]

Jul 25, 2009, 8:14am, mazz wrote:Perfection doesn't exist.I agree 100%! I never think that anything I crank out is "perfect", and will never, at the end of composing (or anything else for that matter) utter the word "perfect", 'cause I know it's just not true. But I will strive to try and get it (whatever "it" may be) to the point of being accepted, or useable, or a solution to some problem, etc...but perfect? No way!Quote:I suggest having ultra high standards of quality and then figure out how to make the music appropriate for the need.MazzThis was my thinking as well, regarding the "Quality, Quantity or Both" thread. And as I mentioned there, quality takes time, at least for me anyhow. I don't know if my standards are "ultra high". I think I'm still trying to just get to "high" , but I get where you're comin' from. I'm realizing more & more, this kind of work DEMANDS it, and the demand seems to be increasing. So how do you go about pinpointing exactly where "ultra high" is, if I may ask? At what point do you say, "This is as high as I can get", or do you feel that you're not quite there yet? I'd say if you felt you're not quite there just yet, you're definitely at the door ready ta' knock it down. Just curious to read your thoughts. ibanez468

[mazz]

Ultra-high standards: Is this better than what I hear on TV/Radio/Film, etc., in all ways: composition, production, dramatic content, appropriateness for the scene? Always studying, writing, improving. Every new piece is a step on the path and offers opportunities for learning and improving the craft. Being open to recognizing those opportunities. Learning to honestly assess where I am in relationship to where I want to be (better than the competition, which is the "big guys"). The clearer I can see this, the more clearly I can see what I need to do to improve.I don't ever say "This is as high as I can get". I say "This is as high as I can get given the time, budget, deadline, amount of sleep, etc., at this point in my journey". I will use that as a springboard to learn how to do it more efficiently next time. There's always something that will come up to stand in the way of "perfection", and external influences will come to play to force us to say, "it's done". Otherwise, by continually chasing "perfection", nothing will ever be "done".

[squids]

And honestly, some things can be 'overdone'. Chasing perfection is chasing our tail. Some people find that fun. The last few years, I've learned that knowing when to end a song is an art.

[mazz]

Jul 26, 2009, 10:07am, squids wrote:And honestly, some things can be 'overdone'. Chasing perfection is chasing our tail. Some people find that fun. I find the last few years that knowing when the song is finished is a real art. Yes!!

[squids]

Love the quote, Mazz. And backatcha Hitch! ROFL