The Stars Need Not Be Aligned To Launch

Did you ever use the sun and a magnifying glass to burn your name into something?  Usually it was something precious like your 'lucky bat', because you wanted to mark it permanently.  In order for this process to work, everything seemed to have to come together perfectly:

-The right time -The right focus -The right medium -The right goal

(A sunny afternoon so the sun is bright and high... an aligned star) (The light and your attention had to be concentrated) (A metal bat wouldn't work, for instance) (Once you start burning, you can't erase... no 'second takes')

Indeed, some creative projects do require precise execution.  The stakes are raised even higher towards necessary perfection if the safety of others is involved (orchestrating a rocket launch, for instance).

However, I believe that the vast majority of creative projects thrive on imperfection.  Such work is a cycle of improvisation, observation, and distillation.  Once you have an idea:

• Start the work and chase the expression of your idea through improvisation.  Finish.
• Take as step back and see if what you made communicates your idea to yourself.  When it comes to your own work, you will have far greater powers of observation than anyone else.
• See what worked and what didn't.  Some parts can be thrown away, some kept, some refined.  However, don't get carried away with distillation.

Finally, break the cycle and launch.  Show it to the world.  Boldly place it high for all to see.  It's easy to get overwhelmed by perfection when it seems like our work is permanent.  However, most of the time our work is 'merely' a stepping stone to the next piece.  It may turn out that the most permanent thing is what you learned along the way.  Keep it up and eventually you'll launch your work into orbit.