If you have creative work in the hopper (or simply an idea!), you’re invited to learn and create alongside us this summer as we explore key concepts and actionable ideas to move creativity forward inspired by Dr. Eric Maisel’s book, “Fearless Creating: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting and Completing Your Work of Art” (affiliate link).
🎧 Start Here
Welcome To Week 10!✨
Finishing without letting perfectionism call the shots
You’ve shown up.
You’ve worked through resistance.
You’ve stayed inside the chaos long enough to build something real.
Now comes one of the trickiest moments in the creative process: Knowing when to call it done.
Missed Last Week?
The Trap of “Almost Finished”
Perfectionism has a way of stretching projects out forever.
We percolate. We revise. We convince ourselves one more edit will make it flawless.
But perfection is a moving target. The closer you get, the further it shifts.
Dr. Eric Maisel calls this stage critical-mind anxiety at its loudest.
It’s the fear that your work isn’t ready, or good enough, or worthy of being shared.
But! The reality is that work trapped in your drafts folder doesn’t get to fulfill its purpose.
Done is what makes it real.
Done Doesn’t Mean Perfect
Declaring completion doesn’t mean you’ve stopped caring. It means you’ve decided your work is ready to exist in the world as it is right now.
Because no piece of creative work is ever really finished.
It’s simply completed and shared at a point where it can stand on its own.
Your job is to recognize that point, release the work, and trust that you can always create again.
🛠️ This Week’s Practice: Define “Done”
Write your finish line.
In a sentence or two, describe what “done” looks like for your current project. Example: “A first draft with a beginning, middle, and end. No missing sections.”Set a deadline.
Pick a date this week to stop revising and declare completion.Practice release.
Say it out loud: “This is done. It’s allowed to be done.”
Celebrate that. Because most people never get here.
💭 Reflection Prompt:
“What’s stopping me from declaring this work complete and what do I gain by letting it be finished?”
🧭 Coming Next...
In Week 11, we’ll talk about showing your work: How to share it, seek feedback, and release it into the world without letting anxiety run the show.
For now? Practice the art of finishing.
Your future creative work depends on it.
Further Reading:
🎧 Listen To The Previous Sessions
We will have 12 weeks in total of this Fearless Creating book series! Catch up on the previous sessions right over here.
