Perfectionism is Hardly the Key

 The key to what, you might surely wonder...
Perfectionism is hardly the key to success--there, I (sadly) said it.  Today, in my daily Etsy search, I came across a well put-together shop, complete with stunning photographs, listing descriptions, a proliferation of sold items and rock-bottom prices, oh and may I add, a pretty shop banner.  I, with envy--the green-eyed monster of lore--actually considered, Wow, if only I could do that, then my shop would...

Then, the ever-present critic in me urged me to take a closer look--because something seemed slightly off in this veil of perfection--and that was when I saw it: the shop materials, the non-secure wire closures.  Not to mention the rock-bottom(!) pricing.  So, the veil has been lifted.

Truthfully though, the point of this post is not to shake my finger at others who are trying to make an honest dollar.  The point is that in terms of quality, there is a rather large discrepancy between the product materials/pricing and the marketing plan, as shown in this example.  And that genuinely bothers me (and probably only me).  But to each their own; good karma all around.

Back to the green-eyed monster...
After thinking about this subject for some time, and doing an embarrassing mental comparison of my shop to this particular one, I have come to a weighty conclusion: although I tend to err towards the side of perfectionism when it comes to materials, learning about stones and metals, creating designs that will hold up to gentle-to-moderate daily wear, etc., I must take it all in stride.  Because in the end, my shop is my shop...their shops are theirs.  I can't keep on attempting to measure the success of a shop by its perceived subtext; it's just downright critical.  Additionally, success is truly a subjective measuring stick, anyways. 

Perfectionism, then, is hardly the key to success--but it can be utilized as a tool for some long overdue contemplation.