Hi,
My name is Morten, and I’m a perfectionist.
I used to think it was my best quality.
Now I know it’s also my greatest weakness.
Today I want us to talk about the mindset shift I’ve struggled with incorporating the most - progress over perfection.
I desperately wanted to be natural born filmmaking genius.
Unfortunately I’m not.
So I’ve had to figure out another way. And I’d like to show you.
What if it’s not about you?
I realized perfectionism is a two-headed monster.
- High ambition
- High ego
I would think things like:
- “I only get one shot at directing. If the first one fails, everyone will know I suck.”
- “I have to make everything perfect, if not what’s the point?”
- “I’m not showing this to anyone!”
Do you notice how each of these statements is about me? It’s not about the films I’m making, but about how important my part of it is.
Perfectionism is the little monster holding you back by telling you it’s ok not to try something because it might not come out exactly as you imagined.
I used to wear the badge of perfectionism with pride. “I’m a perfectionist,” I’d say. “That’s why I haven’t finished the script, edit or shown the film to anyone. It’s not perfect yet.”
I measured my no-budget shorts against $100 million Hollywood blockbusters. When I fell short I shoved the film or the raw footage in a drawer and let it collect dust.
My growth as a filmmaker slowed to a crawl because I couldn’t get over my fear of being judged, not being good enough.
It cost me years.
Something needed to change, and for me it was taking my ego out of the equation.
How good are you really?
I tried replacing high ambition/high ego with high ambition/low ego.
And it’s hard!
Putting your ego aside requires facing the fear of not being good enough, the imposter syndrome and taking all that fear and doubt and turning it towards making you a better filmmaker.
Realizing perfection is fear in disguise was the big turning point for me.
Was I going to stop making movies because I was afraid?
Instead of asking “is it perfect?” I started asking “Is fear going to stop me from making this?”
My answer is always: hell no!
Actor Mads Mikkelsen's (Casino Royale, Hannibal, Another Round, +++) approach to the films he works on resonated with me. I'm paraphrasing here, but it was something like:
“Give every film you make 100%. No matter if you think it’s the greatest film ever, or a piece of shit. At least you know you did everything to make it the best it could be.”
When we hold back and give 50% or 80% or even 98% to a film there will always be that nagging feeling of “I could have done better.”
That’s all the space the perfectionism monster needs.
When you give a film 100% it becomes an incredible indicator of where your skills are at when you make that film.
You get to spot your strengths and weaknesses.
Most importantly you get to take what you learn from that film and apply it to the next one.
Replacing “perfect” with “your 100% as of today” is a game changer for turning procrastination into action.
Adding progress to the equation - a change of perspective
Most could-be directors never direct anything. They dream of directing this amazing film that lives for free in their heads, but avoid the one universal truth about directing:
Directors direct.
We’re conditioned to believe we only get one shot at fulfilling our dreams of directing a film and that all the directors who made it are “overnight successes.”
After making and putting out shorts, web series, and a feature film I can say one thing with absolute certainty:
No one is waiting to see your film (except maybe your mom, but honestly she probably just wants to tell you she’s proud of you.)
Every film could make your career, but quitting is the only thing that breaks it.
Sadly, most filmmakers save their “one shot” for so long that they never end up directing anything.
We can take as many shots as we need.
We can make bad films, ok films, good films, weird films.
The process of becoming a director is about building a skillset and a voice through constant honing of our storytelling craft.
The mindset shift from scarcity to abundance helped me let go of the pressure to make everything perfect, and instead focus on improving.
Every film you make is an opportunity to learn something new, develop skills and apply what you learned from your last project.
Conclusion
Overcoming perfectionism and all the fear that comes with it is difficult. But changing our mindsets to focus on building a career and skillset step by step is healthier and more achievable than praying for overnight success.
