The finishing touches and fine-tuning are different for every project…As with the other stages of the creative act, the Completion phase isn’t a clear line you cross in a forward journey.
sharing a piece close to completion
His opinions on sharing & soliciting/receiving are quite intriguing. It starts off with:
The primary aim is not to receive notes or opinions. This is your work, your expression. You are the only audience that matters.
Derek Sivers shares(shared) the same philosophy:
At the time, my blog had no readers, so I didn’t think anyone would see it. I just wrote it for the record.
This is quite similar to the log format that is encouraged for dev blogs:
- Michael Lynch’s retrospectives
- Dave Rupert’s Vibe Checks
- Too many to list, but anyone with public second brain is likely practicing this
The intention is for you to experience the work anew…. It’s as if borrowing a second set of ears… We’re not necessarily looking for an outside perspective. We are more interested in widening our own.
On sharing with a small crowd for initial feedback
We interrogate ourselves when we offer our work up to others. We ask the questions we didn’t ask ourselves when we were making it
how to think about the feedback
If someone chooses to share feedback, listen to understand the person, not the work. People will tell you more about themselves than about the art when giving feedback.
If you’ve truly created an innovative work, it’s likely to alienate as many people as it attracts
The quote above is another thing I’ve heard Derek say. From the book Anything you want, chapter titled Proudly exclude people:
You need to confidently exclude people, and proudly say what you’re not. By doing so, you will win the hearts of the people you want.
When is the work done?
The work is done when you feel it is
Although we avoid deadlines early in the process, in the Completion phase, a due date could help bring time into focus and support you in completing the work.
Art doesn’t get made on the clock. But it can get finished on the clock.
On sharing with the rest of the world
Releasing a work into the world becomes easier when we remember that each piece can never be a total reflection of us, only a reflection of who we are in this moment.
Hanging on to your work is like spending years writing the same entry in a diary. Moments and opportunities are lost. The next works are robbed of being brought to life.
One of the greatest rewards of making art is our ability to share it. Even if there is no audience to receive it, we build the muscle of making something and putting it out into the world.
Avoid overthinking. When you’re happy with the work and you’re moved to share it with a friend, it might be time to share it with the world as well.