Note: I’m not yet a full time artist. I’ve been working towards that goal, but I have a full time career in manufacturing to help support my habit.
In the past couple of years, I’ve decided to pursue excellence in my art.
A few years ago, some of my coworkers and supervisors left the company I work for to help start a new, similar business. I knew them, they knew me. We’d worked together for years.
After several months, they were ready to hire someone with my qualifications. So I applied, and interviewed, and waited for that phone call.
The phone call came; they hired someone else. I was disappointed, but also relieved. After all, I have a good job. I know what I’m doing. Still, I had to wonder where I’d gone wrong.
The guy who they hired was also a coworker of mine. We had the same job title. In fact, we worked closely together on many projects. We basically did the same job. They chose him over me. Why?
Because he was excellent, I was not. He did excellent work, consistently, and on demand. I did excellent work sometimes, if things went right, and sometimes it took me a long time.
“Good Enough Syndrome”
After some reflection, I realized that I suffered from GES, or Good Enough Syndrome. I shouldn’t say that I “suffered”, because GES is self induced.
Sometimes, when I did a job, I got it done quickly, but not at the best quality I could have. Other times, I did the job very well, but it took longer than it should have because I wasn’t focused; I was sloppy.
GES has affected almost everything I do; my work, my home projects, and sometimes even my art!
An Artist Friend Gently Calls Me Out
I joined the online painting group “Let’s Paint New Mexico”. Every few weeks, a photo is sent out to group members and we use that photo as reference or inspiration for a painting. One photo was a mountain scene, with a winding road going through a New Mexico town. I thought my painting was good! I thought other paintings were excellent.
A fellow painter and friend suggested I sign up for an online boot camp style painting class. What?! Me? Why? I’m a good artist!
I was good, but I wasn’t excellent. I think my fellow painter friend recognized the potential for excellence in my work.
Not all of my paintings were just good enough. I did some excellent ones here and there. If they weren’t sometimes excellent, I wouldn’t have sold any. But I have a lot of mediocre “good enough” paintings in storage.
I decided at this time to make a very deliberate decision to pursue excellence in everything I did. No more “good enough” at work, no more “good enough” at home, and certainly no more “good enough” in my art.
I’m going to be excellent!
These are gorgeous and way better than good enough! I love them! Keep at it, you will get there.