Articles on Aesthetics

Self-directed creative work is different from other forms of creative work. Typically, there’s not a list of specifications you can check off on your way to “done.” Success in creative endeavors can only be measured by the recognition that the work is “good,” that it satisfies the creator’s intention—your intention. “Good” is not the same as “perfect” or “finished,” in the sense that all possible improvements have been explored and closed, but “good” is sufficient. How do you know when your work is good? You use your aesthetic: the collection of formal, material, intellectual, functional, emotional, and spiritual qualities that please you.

I’m a perfectionist. Perhaps you are too… Most of us think of perfectionism as a personal failing—a toxic combination of overly high personal standards and unrelenting self-judgement. But perfectionism is deeply ingrained in our culture. It’s time to reframe the idea of perfection and develop a new relationship with perfectionism.

Noise is typically undesirable, something we need to filter out, counteract, or eliminate. But what if noise is the desired outcome? What if the goal is to counter the prevailing logic, to destabilize or disrupt the status quo, to create space for something new?

It feels out of step with the times to write an article on beauty, but it’s what beauty demands. What is the purpose and nature of beautiful things? This article collects some of my thoughts on these questions.