“Perfection is not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to remove.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Generosity of “content” is not something you typically have to coax out of a creative person. We want to give it all, play it all, write it all. Every time. And as we are evaluating our current "masterpiece"—whether that be a long-term project like a book or record, or a short-term expression like a live performance—one question lingers: "What else can I squeeze in there that they will love… that will set this thing over-the-top… that will cover more of the scope of my capabilities… and that will even better represent who I am as an artist?"

But to the point of this quote, our masterpiece is seldom in need of more from us. In fact, it typically needs less from us. This is why authors have editors, musicians have producers, and actors have directors. We need to be reeled in. Often. And the net result of less is, indeed, more: more impact, more clarity, and more substance.

This is a lesson I personally continue to struggle with.

All of this said, however, I don't think there's anything wrong with going apeshit as we do and exploring any and all possibilities in our creative process. When we are free to create, without restraint, we can usually stumble across some inspired ideas. We just have to remember that, at some point, it will be time to trim away the fat if we want to put our best work forward. And when there's nothing more to trim... we just might be "perfect."

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And with that, I will get back to work over here and see what I can trim away for this first draft!

Next week, I will hit you guys up with another full edition, this one focusing on the incredible experience I had last month watching my partner, Kari Wahlgren, win a motherfuckin' Emmy for her voice-acting work!

With my girl, en route to the Emmy ceremony

It was joyous and surreal and, as always, eye-opening in the Big Life Lessons department. Stay tuned for a few observations and reflections... and a tragically unexpected part of the story very few know about.