The Dilemma between Perfectionism and Creativity

Human beings’ greatest asset over other animals is the ability to think. We allow our own thoughts to create the world it is today. We have airplanes, combustion cars, and computers. Such machines weren’t available just 200 years ago, and it’s all thanks to people who invent them through their creative mind.

But those same machines also need to respect the rules of nature in order to perform as intended. Thus, we expect them to work perfectly, or catastrophic results may occur.

This post talks about the arguments between a person who spends energy upholding the rules and a person who spends energy breaking those rules.

The Argument for Perfectionism

We developed mathematics, physics, and chemistry based on our centuries of research to bring quantifiable measurements of the universe’ inner workings.  Once these rules of nature are found, we can only follow them. Without any manipulation, Earth’s gravity will remain the same, the freezing temperature of the water will remain the same, and the number of atoms in hydrogen will remain the same.

Likewise, we create sets of man-made rules that in order to work as performed, we must follow them to a T.

Thus, we must strive for perfection to eliminate any undesired side-effects. Everything must work as intended or follow a set of rules, be it natural or man-made. These are the life’s work of engineers, accountants, editors, pharmacists, programmers, and interpreters.

The Argument for Creativity

Perfection, on the other hand, can take a toll on creating new things. The very nature of ‘perfect’ means we are ‘setting a bar,’ however high that is. This spells inevitable doom when it’s time for us ‘breaking the bar,’ because how are we going to break the bar if we cannot reach it?

Take, for example, a ‘perfect’ claims application process that involves only paper. Because it’s ‘perfect,’ no one will think of trying out a new way to speed up this process, such as using a computer to automate. “It’s PERFECT! It cannot be improved! Just follow this process and don’t deviate!”

Everything starts with an idea. The airplane starts with an idea. The automobile starts with an idea. The computer starts with an idea. In short, without ideas, we will still be catching a fish bare-handed. What’s a spear?

Perfection is bound to suffer through creativity alone because we do not yet know what the bar is supposed to be. Thus we do lots of testing to find that bar. Sometimes, we don’t even need the bar as long as it strikes an emotional connection. Artists, fashion designers, photographers, video game designers are all great careers for the creativity-intensive minds.

Complement, or Independent?

In our modern era, the reliance on computers to automate our everyday lives becomes more and more evident. When I was still a kid, the term ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’ (STEM) was unheard of. That was 20 years ago. Now we need these disciplines more than ever. We want to build robots with artificial intelligence that can engage in machine learning. Thus, we need programming to tell what it does, we need measurements to build it, and we need to know the materials so it can exist physically. But why do we need to build this robot in the first place? Whatever the purpose is, it starts with an idea. The perfection will come once we know all of the robot’s capabilities and limits.

This video shows a manufacturing process of a steering wheel on a Lexus LS luxury vehicle, which takes 38 days to complete:

Each process of building it requires some of the highest standards and tolerance in order to make certain the end result is perfect, and that is just the steering wheel. How about this hand pleated door trim, or this uniquely made Kiriko glass trim? Each piece requires exacting standards to fit on the door. They know these standards through many, many years of experience – through all the failures and learning experiences. But, they all start with an idea to make them aesthetically pleasing, unique from that bland looking steering wheel from the Toyota Corolla.

Thus, I believe that perfection and creativity go hand in hand; they complement each other in more ways than one. Without perfection, the steering wheel will look crooked. Without creativity, the steering wheel will look bland. Combining the two, it comes elegantly perfect.