Quality vs. Quantity

This is something I have been thinking about all week. The nice thing is, it can be applied to just about anything! This will also look at perfection and how that approach is actually holding you back.

Quantity should be your goal.

Whatever your craft may be, practicing and finishing something is the best way to learn and improve. For some reason, a lot of us (myself included) seem to get stuck in the mindset that things must be perfect to be finished and improve our skills. It simply is not true and I see it in my own work. I spend days or weeks obsessing over a few small details when I could’ve accepted my work and completed a ton of other projects.

There is so much more to learn from completing projects to 80%. Think about how much time you spend on a project of any kind. How much is spent on completing 80% of the project? For me, it is far less time than the last 20%. Often times it doesn’t even improve the project 20%. It is just something small I get stuck on and I can’t bring myself to start something else.

I’m not sayin you should speed through projects and put out ‘meh’ work. What you need to do is sit and figure out what things are worth you sitting and obsessing over. Will improving this one thing teach me something? Or am I better off sharing this piece and trying to create something new from everything I have learned? You need to find what works for you and go with it.

Science!

There is a famous experiment shared al over the internet about Uelsmann and his photography students. He had half the class in the quantity group and the other half in the quality group. The quality group was tasked with taking as many photos as possible and they would only receive an A if they submitted 100 photos. Meanwhile, the quality group only had to produce one photo the entire semester. The catch- it had to be nearly perfect.

Uelsmann found at the end of the semester that the quantity group had made all of the best photographs. They were the ones experimenting and doing things they normally wouldn’t, while the quality group was obsessing over their one photograph they had to submit. They were less likely to take risks and try new things.

In the end, quantity leads to quality.

It’s something we don’t like to hear, but need to remember. Stop spending days on a few minor details no one is going to notice. Once you accept this, you’ll be making more work and seeing improvements. I think this might be why so many designers love daily design prompts. It is an easy way to get going for the day and get in practice.

Another way to think of it is a funnel. I think everything in life can be traced back to a funnel (similar to sales and marketing). You come up with 1,000 ideas, come up with 250 rough outlines, produce 50 final sketches, and might only come out with 5-10 final pieces you truly like. Obviously these numbers vary, but you get the idea. It is crazy to think of all the time and work that goes into producing work. People wonder why it costs so much. Some of the greatest creators in our entire history spent years and years perfecting their craft. Being creative is fun but demanding ride through life. I love it.