On Perfection and Acceptance

There’s a quote out there that I sometimes think about. It’s been credited to Leonardo da Vinci (although there is doubt) about whether or not he coined it. I’ve also heard it associated with George Lucas.

It goes:

Art is never finished, only abandoned.

I see where this is coming from, and I do think it captures the fact that art is an ongoing endeavor that you never really quite reach the end of. (Which, considering the George Lucas association and how he just could not stop messing with Star Wars, is very funny.) However, I think it leans into the “tortured artist” archetype a little too much. It leads you to regret all the things you couldn’t do, and to be reminded of that every time you see your art.

Here’s something similar I’ve been thinking of:

Art is never perfected, only accepted.

What I love about this is it still keeps that idea of art as a journey, and that you never quite reach what you thought you wanted. But it allows you to be finished with something! You can look at the thing you made for what it is, not what you might’ve wished it was! You can look at it with love, and share it with others! This is what art should be.