Art Is Never Finished

Art is never finished, only abandoned.
—Leonard da Vinci

You can always go back and touch up a painting.

You can always rewrite a lyric or melody.

You can always edit a book or blog post.

Art is never done. It is never complete. It can always be refined.

"Futility" by Hugh MacLeod

Are our tools insufficient?

Maybe this is because the tools we use to express our ideas are insufficient.

Maybe our hands and brushes and laptops are crude instruments compared to the complexities of our souls and imaginations.

So when we step up to our “canvases,” we end approach an inherently flawed medium in comparison to the genius inside of us.

Why we are never satisfied

As a result, the project always feels incomplete.

It could always use another refinement or edit. It never feels “just right.”

I struggle with this feeling all the time, when it comes to creative projects (including this blog). I’m always wanting to tweak an element here or rewrite a word there.

I’m never satisfied.

The transience of ideas

Or maybe ideas are, by their very nature, transient.

Maybe they are always changing.

Maybe art is constantly evolving. And therefore, the artist must continuously change how he expresses what the Muse is inspiring.

Maybe creativity is the act of embracing perennially unfinished work.

An artist’s work is never done

Maybe an artist is someone who starts, anyway.

Realizing that the art will never truly be done, they choose to be courageous.

They choose to create.

Maybe that’s why so many people abandon creative work. And why so few begin in the first place.

Because art feels futile at times, but is, in fact, incredibly brave.

Do you think art is ever finished? Why or why not? Feel free to share some examples.

*Image credit: Hugh MacLeod

**Thanks to Stephen Brewster for inspiring this post over a cup of coffee.

Post-script: Since posting this a few minutes ago, I’ve already edited and tweaked ~~five~~ six things.

About the Author

Jeff Goins

Writer, idea guy, difference-maker. I help people tell better stories and make a difference in the world. My family and I reside just outside of Nashville, TN. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus.

http://felicitywhite.com Felicity White

I think this is one of the main reasons we spend more time thinking about creating than actually doing it! My husband is hosting a songwriting challenge this week (5in5 @ danieljohnmusic.com) and we’ve been shocked by how productive we could be under a deadline. We HAD to finish and so we did. Of course, we listen to our songs and think, yeah, let’s go back and fix that later . . . : )
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  Thanks, Felicity. I think songs are especially this way — since even when you publish or record, the reality is that the song is living INSIDE of you. Every time you perform or play it is another chance to rewrite it. I write songs (on a very amateur level) and always change at least one element every time I play one.
http://www.johnrwallace.com John Wallace

Great post! I don’t think art is ever finished. That’s the beautiful thing about art. It can always be tweeked, added-too, or taken away. plus art ends up looking different depending on who is interpreting it…it’s a beautiful thing.
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  I agree, John. It is indeed beautiful.
http://www.robstill.com Rob Still

Brilliant post Jeff.

So, I write and produce music and you get to the place where it just has to be “good enough”. What makes it great or mediocre is the standard by which you evaluate “what is good enough.” You print the mix, or hit publish, or ship, or do whatever constitutes “finished” and off it goes.

But the ideas keep developing… I see this happening a lot in worship songs, where spontaneous new riffs and lyrics spring up out of a song when you get “in the flow”. Know what I mean?
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  i know exactly what you mean, rob. that tension between waiting for excellence and shipping something mediocre is tough to describe. i want to write a post on it, but i’m not sure how to explain it. you just know, i think. know what I mean?
MichaelDPerkins

I don’t think it’s ever finished. And from the sound of it we share a lot of the same views on it. I don’t think it’s ever finished because we are constantly growing and changing. And if we are ever growing and every changing, then our art will be the same thing. What we create is truly a reflection of us.
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  Thanks, Michael. I like your thoughts here. Have you blogged about this at all? Would love to read more. This is actually a bit of a new revelation to me.
  - MichaelDPerkins
    
    I haven’t blogged about it. It’s something I’ve thought about doing. But it falls into one of those things that I (think) I have a fear about. It’s obvious that I’m not an expert about blogging or creativity. So every time I get ready to do something regarding it, I experience a lot of Resistance.
    - http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
      
      Hmmm… well, for what it’s worth, I’d love to hear what you have to say! Feel free to shoot me an email, man. Btw, I think you’re an expert on building community, which is an essential part of blogging.
Rob Rash

Good thoughts Jeff!

As a person who is never really satisfied, it would be easy to say that any art I am involved with, is never truly finished. But maybe mostly complete, or complete enough to let it go and start something new.

You’re right. We can always tweak, re-word something, shave a little off here and add a little more here. And even then, I’m not sure we’d ever come to the crossroads of a finished piece.

I’m a writer and songwriter and I’m never really satisfied with the ending… just 80%!
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  Thanks, Rob! That’s why shipping is so important.
http://twitter.com/PeterPaluska Peter Paluska

Jeff,

Excellent, provocative material once again!

This is always a tough one, and actually a topic I always love discussing with other artists and creative people.

I believe there are times when you reach a point and feel that stopping is the right thing to do. I use the word “feel” here because that is exactly what transpires.

Then again, you could always find ways to do something different, no doubt about it. But ultimately we have to tie a bow around what we’re doing and send it off at some point so best not to beat ourselves up over whether it was the best or worst thing to do.

Nice work, Jeff!

Peter
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  thanks, peter
http://www.marianneworley.com Marianne Worley

I also tend to go back to posts and make edits, sometimes immediately after publishing. As far as writing goes, I think that’s part of the craft. You keep refining the words until you’ve reached a level of clarity that you can live with.

The great thing about a blog is that you get a fresh start as often as you want. And you can go back and make older posts better. And sometimes if you re-read a post you weren’t happy with originally, you might be surprised that it’s not so bad after all.
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  love that fresh part bit. so true.
http://katieax.blogspot.com Katie Axelson

My boss tells me on a regular basis that, “Sometimes you just have to hit print.” I’ll tweak articles, papers, and projects forever and they’ll still never be good enough. I’ve kind of used the “Publish” button as the printer in that once it’s posted it doesn’t get re-edited again. Whether that’s a good or bad policy I’m still not sure.
Katie
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  it’s a great policy. i agree with your boss.
http://www.warriorshepherd.com/blog Dave Hearn

Love the postscript. :^)
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
http://movethemountains.blogspot.com Chad Jones

For myself, I’ve been so interested in “shipping” (which is here defined as getting good posts up regularly), and doing the rest of what life requires of me, that I actually haven’t thought about going back to look at my previous “works”–my focus has been forward. I don’t disagree in principle, but the constant need to revise can be a trap. Maybe some works belong to certain eras of our creative lives and are best left safely alone? Perhaps I don’t yet have enough time and distance to have perspective on this? I’m certainly an amateur, but I’m learning.

Soon I will be writing on why the “creator” is sovereign with regard to his works as part of a new Wednesday series I’ve been doing on “Life and Art.” I truly attribute what I saw as a one-off post becoming series due to your encouragement, Jeff. Thanks!
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  Awesome, Chad. You’re right – it’s a fine line between constant refinement and obsession. You do need some distance before re-approaching old works, but it’s a good practice. I love that series you’re doing – I’m glad my encouragement helped you.
Stephen Lynch

Great post Jeff – came across your stuff through a friend, glad I did.

I agree with MichaelDPerkins. Hopefully I will always have the ability to make past work better because I am continually becoming better.

What works for me is defining the difference between works of art and art. Works need completion. But art needs a lure of nonattainability so we will always feel the need to explore it.
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  Good call. I like that.
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http://www.thethoughtpalette.co.uk/ Aly

Hi Jeff – great post as usual!
I love this quote:
“A rule of thumb for artists is this — if you can’t think of anything you left out, you aren’t finished”. Robert Brault
It reminds me whenever I am painting that there will ALWAYS be something else to add or ‘play with’ in a painting – but the golden rule for me is that ‘when you start fiddling with the painting – stop painting!’
I guess the same is true with writing too?
Each work is another step forward – another chance to learn and grow – and move on -
so… should we keep going back and altering things – or just add what we have learned to the next piece – of art – music – or writing? It’s an interesting one to think about!
http://www.suttonparks.com Sutton Parks

The problem is not knowing when it can be “shipped”. I heard a songwriter friend say he wrote 300 songs since last May. Someone asked him how many of them are good. He said, “If I knew that, I wouldn’t have to write 300 of them.” I can relate.
- http://goinswriter.com/ Jeff Goins
  
  ditto. i don’t think you DO know until you start shipping.
http://ains-leigh.blogspot.com/ ainsleigh

Art does indeed feel futile at times. Sometimes I ask myself if I shouldn’t be doing something “more productive” with my time in a voice that eerily sounds like my mother. I never thought of it as being brave. Thanks for introducing this possibility into my mind
http://zeroto60andbeyond.com Barbara Hammond

For years I couldn’t have one of my paintings hanging in my house because every time I looked at it I wanted to add/delete something, tweak it, ‘fix’ it. I’ve gotten better about it but still believe there’s always room for improvement. We can only hope we get better at executing our art, whatever the form, as we go along. Then it only makes sense that you can always improve on it.
Thoughtful post Jeff, thanks.
b
Mary Marck

As far as painting is concerned for me, I am pretty comfortable stopping, and I usually know for sure when I reach that point. The idea that “art is never finished” was never appealing to me…
I love painting very much, and the process of painting is one of the best experiences of my life. However, I know when to walk away. Permanently.