I thought I had overcome perfectionism. I was wrong.

I spent years struggling with perfectionism while painting. Painting over the same piece again and again, always worried what other people would think and always thinking about the finished piece way too early in my process.

Eventually, I found my way out.

I learned to recognize that voice. For me, it was mostly fear. My painting yelling at me that THIS is TOO much. Wondering what other people would think about me. After all, that rawness was me putting myself on canvas.

I quickly understood that it wasn't my intuition talking. Intuition has a pull to it, some kind of direction. But that other voice? It only brings worry.

I also learned that me always fixing my painting was often what ruined the painting. I wasn't making it better. I was making it safer.

And most importantly, I learned that success doesn't mean creating a painting I absolutely love every single time.

Today, I finish paintings. I love some, I learn from others, but all of them make me better.

So I really thought I'd left perfectionism behind.

Then this week happened.

My weekly newsletter was supposed to go out yesterday. So was last week's. There's no new YouTube video either.

And I felt awful about it.

Not just a little disappointed. I was really beating myself up, in a way that didn't match how small these things actually were.

And that's when I recognized the fear. Fear of being judged for not being able to do all the things I always do.

Only now, instead of telling myself my painting wasn't good enough, it was telling myself that I wasn't good enough at building a business.

That I should be able to do it all. Paint, mentor my students, film YouTube videos every week, write newsletters, show up on Instagram, and somehow do every single thing perfectly.

And anything less meant I wasn't doing a good enough job.

I hadn't beaten perfectionism. It had just moved out of my studio and into my business.

And I didn't even realize it until I wrote the caption on my reel last night.

And now... I'm still sitting with that realization. And I don't have a perfect solution to share with you.

But I do know that the same things that helped me in my painting can probably help me here, too.

Recognize the voice. Trust that done enough is done. Redefine what success looks like.

And most importantly, keep moving forward.

Maybe some weeks my newsletter will be late. Maybe I won't publish a YouTube video every single week.

That doesn't mean I am not serious about my business. It just means that I had to prioritize other things. I just need to learn to practice being okay with that.

Because I know what happened when I finally gave myself permission to stop chasing perfection in my paintings.

I started growing as an artist.

And maybe I need to give myself that same permission in my business.

If you recognize that “just one more thing” voice in your own paintings, that's also part of what we work on inside Living Abstracts. Learning to recognize when your intuition is guiding you and when fear is taking over, and understanding what your painting actually needs instead of endlessly trying to fix it.

You can read more about Living Abstracts here.

But before you go, I want to leave you with something to think about.

Where else in your life is that perfectionist voice showing up without you even realizing it?

And the next time you hear it while painting, maybe try something different.

Put the brush down. Step back.

And see what happens when you give yourself permission to let it be enough.