Want to get better at your craft? Forget quality. Volume wins every time.

They’re not opposites—they’re reinforcing pillars of the artistic process.

This idea isn’t new. Steven Pressfield talks about it in The War of Art. Seth Godin in The Practice. The common thread? Just show up and do the work.

"Start before you're ready," Pressfield advises. Give yourself permission to create garbage.

If you're a writer, write. If you're a composer, compose. Don’t fixate on quality. Just finish. Cross the line.

Your practice isn’t just about craft—it’s about character. It’s about building the muscle of completion. Sitting with the discomfort of your work’s imperfections.

Do not let a vague standard of quality get in the way of output. If you are an artist, your job is to create.

the problem with perfectionism

A professional athlete trains every day, or they lose their edge. An artist is no different. They must practice completion.

And art isn’t art until it ships.

Completion is the final step. Without it, the cycle is incomplete.

But an obsession with quality often blocks completion.
"I can’t share this—it’s not good enough. What will people think?"

If you're already a famous, highly successful artist, fine—ignore this. Your brand is established.

For the rest of us? This mindset is the enemy.

your work is just another data point

Most people are drowning in information. Your art is just another blip in their endless feed.

And that’s great news.

It means no one is scrutinizing your work the way you think they are. They’re too busy scrolling past.

It means you’re free. Free to create. Free to share. Free to get better.

Yes, there will be critics. But fear of criticism blocks volume.

And volume is what makes you better.

my own battle with perfectionism

For the past year, I’ve had a duo project with a fellow musician. We wrote a mission statement, tested different compositional styles, and… barely played any gigs.

We recorded material but rarely released it.

At some point, rehearsals got harder to schedule. Life got in the way. So we made a decision:

No more perfectionism. We ship everything.

Now, every live performance becomes its own album. Mistakes and all.

When I listen back, I hear the flaws. The moments out of tune. The places we didn’t sync.

But the story around it changes everything.

Our art is about vulnerability. It’s about sharing the process as much as the product. And that commitment to sharing forces us to improve.

The upside? Compounding artistic growth. Each performance builds on the last. The act of shipping holds us accountable to getting better every time.

The downside? None.

the invitation

Are you hoarding unfinished work, waiting for it to be perfect?

Are you choosing the illusion of safety over real artistic growth?

If so, stop waiting. Start finishing. Ship the damn thing.

You may find yourself relating to your artistic process in a whole new way.