Take imperfect action
Are you a perfectionist?
If so, here's a little encouragement for you:
When you take the first step in freelance lettering, it’ll be imperfect.
It might even suck. 😉
Your first lettering piece will suck.
Here's mine, back in design school (and I sorta stopped lettering for 2 years after that)
Your first client project may come with a few mistakes.
I forgot to include a revision cap and we did 5 rounds of revisions on a $50 budget for a LOGO. YUP.
Your first newsletter will have some issues.
I wasted 2 hours yelling at my email interface trying to automate a simple welcome sequence (it didn't work 😆). I've switched email service providers since then and no more yelling, haha. (here’s an affiliate link if you’re curious about what I use for my biz)
Your first resource may not hit the mark.
I kept updating my first resource because I’d tweak the copy or adjust some tiny design thing. Until I realized I was more excited to focus on digital lettering tips and made this resource instead.
But you can celebrate it because...
You. 👏 Took. 👏 Action. 👏
That's the biggest hurdle of all.
Seth Godin summarizes it well: "If you're hoping for inaction, look for perfect."
How many times has perfectionism held you back? I cringe when I think back on my first steps (esp. that logo project 🥵). But they're proof that I gave up waiting for "perfect" and jumped in. And they led to full-time freelance with clients like Adobe, Nespresso, and Logitech. Those messy steps were worth it. 😊
Are there any imperfect steps you're thankful you've taken?
I hope you can celebrate each one.
You were brave to take those steps.
Now take a few more. 😊
It'll get better as you take action. You'll be like this kiddo in no time. 👇
What's the "imperfect action step" you need to take this week?
Reply back in the comments! I’ll be rooting for you! 🥳
PS – If you found this message encouraging, sign up for my newsletter to get them in your inbox. Head here and I’ll also send you a Procreate shortcuts cheat sheet. ❤️
