Quantity V Quality
When it comes to creativity and problem-solving, what’s better: Quality or quantity?
If you’re like most people, you said quality. Because we live in an overcrowded high-speed world of lightning-fast tweets, instant AI-written essays, and same-day delivery of thousands of items, isn’t it quality that means more than sheer volume?
But when it comes to our own work, making new things, building a business you love, making that landing page for your website, or finding any expression of YOU, I believe the answer lies in quantity.
On the first day of class, a college ceramics professor divides the room in half.
“Everyone on my right need only make one piece all term, and you will be graded based on the quality of your work. Everyone on my left needs to make as many pieces as they possibly can and will be graded on the quantity of their work. See you in eight weeks.”
Eight weeks later the students show up.
(this is a blob fish)
Those tasked with quantity smile as they tote in boxes and boxes of their work. Some pieces are as ugly as a blobfish (left), some are cool, some immaculate, and all of them are part of the process.
The students radiate the presence of an artist, of someone who knows their craft, has put in the time, and rode the highs and lows on the road to success.
Those on the right side are visibly anxious, clutching to their one prized piece that took 8 weeks of scrutinizing, planning, judging, tweaking, and rethinking. An occasional student or two looks confident, but they all emit a feeling of fear, needing this one piece to be the answer,
Can you guess which side had better quality work? Guess who enjoyed the process more? Guess who left that class feeling more confident in their ability to make good ceramics?
If you’re still thinking of the group that only had to make one quality piece, then you, like me are probably an overplanning perfectionist (f you don’t agree with me then I invite you to look it up on my color-coded alphabetized perfectly dusted bookshelf).
The answer is not in perfection (quality) but in process (quantity).
When we focus on the ideal outcome we lose the lessons and joy of the process. More importantly, it’s the stones of showing up, experimentation, and failing that pave the road to success. We forget that even nature, the best artist of all, does a million iterations before something is perfect- which explains the blobfish. And yes, I do actually love how dang ugly it is.
Blob fish slippers:
Proof that even your ugly process is beautiful to someone you’ve never met.
I have a degree in fine arts and have spent my entire adult life as a full-time performing artist but it wasn’t till I started standup comedy that I learned to truly embrace the joy of failure and getting reps in. My jokes bombed for a while until they didn’t. The quantity created the quality.
I’m still practicing letting go of idealized outcomes, but I’ve learned the one sure thing that ruins the quality of my work, is refusing to play in the quantity of my work.
Recently, I decided to practice what I preach by making 100 videos in 100 days on my youtube channel. It’s part of my process towards becoming a full-time content creator who helps people in their wellness and mind-body-spirit journeys. It’s public, vulnerable, and opens me up to criticism and trolls, but I know by day 100, not only will I be a better storyteller, facilitator, and videographer, I’ll be proud of the process and who I became by showing up.
Best of all, I know the voice I have will be my voice, not a copy of Mr.Beast or what AI told me would bring me success.
I’m not saying the blob fish should be the new beauty standard (for the record I’m not saying it shouldn't be either), but in a world where we constantly see highlight reels on social media and read about overnight successes, isn’t it nice to allow ourselves and others permission to build our imperfect road to success?
I think so, the blob fish certainly does, and if you want to follow along or join me in my challenge, there are 85 days left to go. Hop on my mailing list or follow along on youtube.
Whatever it is you’re working towards, my wish for you is that you let yourself show up, fail as often as you can, learn as much as you can, and hone in on your unique expression of success through the journey of showing up.
