- Luke Cleland
Chasing the perfect
Updated: Dec 31, 2020
It's hard to do things as a perfectionist. It's even harder when you're a creative perfectionist. I'm always chasing my idea, in the perfect form. I often have a fully formed idea of the execution and presentation of an idea. Sometimes it's so grandiose that even attempting it is crushing. So I never start.
So instead of chasing the perfect, I've been learning to chase the process. It's really hard, because I don't like failing. I like success. I like perfect. I don't really like the process. I want it all to be done, now, quickly, perfectly.
The Toronto Raptors just won their first NBA title in franchise history. I had created this perfect video in my mind that I would create at their parade through the streets of Toronto. However, when you add 2 million people to city streets, it really changes things. I had to improvise, pivot, I had to change the perfect. I had to downgrade my idea to just photos. What a waste, what a failure to not execute the perfect. Cut the video, cut the perfect.
But you know what, it turned out that they ended up being some of my favourite photos I've taken in quite a while.
So maybe there is just something to this process deal after all.
Who would have thought.