How do I overcome the feeling that I need everything to be perfect before publishing?

Embrace momentum as one of the most powerful things you can have as an artist and human being. If you have 50 images that need titles and descriptions, process all 50 to completion first - even if they’re not perfect. Get them all done using AI assistance or whatever tools you have. Then go back and improve the ones that need more work - maybe 10 out of 50 need significant refinement. But all 50 are still done and published. This is infinitely better than having a folder of 50 images sitting on your to-do list for a year while you agonize over making each one perfect. Use AI and other tools to build momentum and get out of the blank page zone. You can always iterate and improve later.

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Asked by artists struggling with perfectionism · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-03-12