Good Enough Is Often Damn Good

“Perfect is the enemy of good.” —Voltaire

There’s an advantage to sticking around long enough. You discover what’s real and what matters — and what doesn’t. When you’ve watched creative people for decades, the patterns get easier to see.

Seeing what’s actually true

Most people aren’t wired to pursue excellence at the highest level. That level of devotion belongs to a small group. The reality for most artists is that good enough isn’t just acceptable — it’s what allows them to keep moving forward.

And let’s be honest:
Good enough can be and often is excellent.

This isn’t a quality debate. For that, I recommend reading Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. This timeless classic is a compelling, philosophical narrative about a motorcycle trip that becomes a search for what “quality” means, using the road as the world, the bike as your life, and maintenance as the way you live.

Excellence is rare, and that’s okay

What I’m talking about isn’t cynicism. It’s simply what I’ve seen, time and again. We strive for excellence, sure. But we’re also human beings carrying too much on our shoulders, trying to fit creative work into the real world, not an ideal one.

A small number of people truly are wired for mastery. They make sacrifices most artists can’t or won’t make. Their drive is intense, their focus remarkable, and their priorities are arranged around the work in ways that most people wouldn’t choose.

I respect them. I learn from them. But I don’t confuse them with the norm.

Most artists want something balanced and human

Most artists I know want something different:
To make meaningful work, build a decent life, and stay grounded while doing it. They want to create art they are proud of — not necessarily become the next big name, not necessarily produce a legacy-defining masterpiece each time they sit down to work.

There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s a sustainable, enjoyable way to live as an artist. Go for joy!

There is something deeply gratifying about making art. Every weekly post I write is not my magnum opus. I strive for excellence and probably spend more time than I should to craft each blog. But I still ship on time, as I always have. Shoot for perfection with what you’ve got at the time and send it into the world.

If you give it your best, it’s going to be good enough—and maybe even excellent.

What we rarely say out loud: the reality behind creative work

Some things go on in our creative lives that we all recognize but rarely talk about. Everyone is unique, with certain innate talents that no amount of studying or exercising can manufacture. Talent is one thing; what we do with it is another.

Some people have the goods to take it far. Others will struggle no matter how hard they try. That’s life. It’s not always fair and never even. Someone always has the upper hand.

We’re told to strive for excellence in everything, but the truth is that excellence is incredibly hard to repeat. Sometimes you get one great moment — and that’s it. The sophomore slump is real.

Musicians spend years perfecting the songs that end up on their breakout album. Then the label wants the next one in months. They don’t have the same reservoir of material, or they’re burned out from climbing the mountain the first time. Across the arts, sports, and life, variations of that same story play out. Repeat Super Bowl and World Series wins are rare for a reason.

And then there’s the micro level — your studio, your home, your everyday life. You make choices about the work you produce and the effort you put into promoting it. Those decisions are mostly quiet, undebated, and almost subconscious. You instinctively know when to go all-in and when to rein it in.

Sometimes you realize that if you work a little faster and let go a little sooner, you still end up with something excellent, even if it isn’t perfect. It’s good enough. And the benefit of working this way is that you keep your momentum. You build inventory. You give yourself room to market without overextending.

And when you start catching a rhythm with this approach — when you trust it enough instead of fighting it — that’s when you discover something surprising:

Good enough is damn good.

The practical minimalist approach

It also fits neatly inside what I call Practical Minimalism: doing less better; choosing the most appropriate tools for the job; avoiding the spirals of opinion, noise, and comparison; and being honest about what you can actually achieve and what each new step costs in time, energy, and relationships.

Practical Minimalism isn’t about lowering your standards. It’s about knowing which standards matter and which ones don’t. It’s also about recognizing that a steady, grounded creative life beats a frantic, idealized one every time.

Why “good enough” keeps you going

And here’s the part we forget:
Good enough keeps you moving.
Good enough keeps you in the studio, the notebook, the darkroom.
Good enough keeps you in the conversation.

Perfection has a way of shutting everything down.
Good enough lets you continue.

That continuation — not the rare pursuit of mastery — is what builds a body of work, a career, and a life in the arts. It’s where most real progress happens. It’s where most confidence is built. And it’s where most people find the joy they’ve been trying to earn through impossible expectations.

Choosing the path that fits your life

Some artists are wired for the highest level of pursuit.
Most are wired for something more human — something that fits the contours of an actual life.

Both are valid.
Only one is sustainable for most people.

A thought for the New Year

What if “good enough” isn’t your compromise — it’s your way forward?

What if it’s the pace that keeps you creating, exploring, experimenting, and living the life you actually want to live — not the one you think you’re supposed to chase?

Sticking around long enough teaches you that.
And it turns out, sticking around is where the real work — and the real rewards — are found.

Wherever you are, and whatever you celebrate this season or in the year ahead, I send you warm wishes for health and harmony in your life. It’s not always easy, but I still see the goodness around us — and most days, that’s more than enough.