This gets in the way of your creativity...
The Copywriter Column #187
There comes a point where you just have to ship whatever it is that you’re working on.
In spite of the mistakes.
In spite of the shortcomings.
In spite of your half-baked idea.
In spite of the incompleteness of it all.
Maybe you’re tired of me reinforcing this idea over and over and over again.
But it’s one that bears repeating because it’s so hard to actually do.
At Homestead, we [try our best to] limit client revisions to two rounds. The first is for big changes – product swaps, rewrites, small additions. The second is essentially for approvals and the most minor of edits.
Inevitably, we have clients who insist on revision after revision after revision despite the additional costs.
Because it’s gotta be perfect.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m bullish when it comes to quality work.
But in my experience, the pursuit of perfection gets in the way of doing the thing, taking a leap.
See, something happens when you hit ‘publish’ – you relinquish control of your creativity and place its impact in the hands of others.
It’s pretty unnerving.
I experience it every time I send one of these out to you.
But the flip side is paralysis by analysis.
The fact of the matter is nobody is printing out our clients’ email campaigns, framing them, and revering them in the annals of marketing history. This is as good as it gets.
So whatever you’re working on, make a promise to yourself – promise to just ship it.
The world needs whatever you’re making, no matter how messy it is.
In fact, it’s the mess of it that makes it both relatable and beautiful.
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