10 strategies to combat perfectionsim
It seems like a lot more frequently of the conversation I hear from students about the difficulty of their life is around the concept of perfection. I find this pretty troubling that so many young people struggle with perfection, or rather, their struggle with the fact that they are not perfect themselves. Like lemmings, I am seeing more and more students follow this devastating path toward self-destruction. I recall a difficult time in my twenties when I was feeling desper
Notes from a Recovering Creative Perfectionist
Perfectionism kills, and it is suffocating! How do you breathe surrounded in all that perfection? For me, I can choose to breathe or choose to be perfect. Since perfectionism will kill me with anxiety, depression, and lack of oxygen, I suppose I choose breath over perfection. Seriously though, who does not want it all to be perfect, especially in art where we can polish, buff, manipulate, erase, ammend, retry,and start completely over? Unfortunately, humans are not perfec
That is one way to avoid failure...
I was in a 6th grade art classroom working with students. I encountered a bright student that we will call, “Melissa.” Melissa is a bright and plucky girl. As I observed her performance over the course of a week, I watched her avoid her creative capacity to achieve and instead choose to deny putting forth a sincere effort. Instead of listening with receptivity at the clear suggestions for improving her artwork, she resisted any effort altogether. Her attempts and re-attemp
