Experimentation vs. Perfection

I imagine there's a plane that describes artists much the same as the plane that describes someones political ideologies.

Experimentation---------------------------------------------------Perfectionism
(Left/Liberal)                                                        (Right/Conservative)

I think you can apply the idea across the board- music, visual art, performance, poetry etc. Some musicians study as many instruments as they can, others focus on one instrument, one genre of music, one composer. Some visual artists paint only landscapes or versions of the same landscape, some change their style yearly, monthly or weekly. You get the idea.

I've been thinking about this idea the past couple of days. When I first started performing in Chicago I just wanted to do improv as much as I could. I wanted to just be the best improviser I could be and master any form I was doing. Eventually I got burned out, spread myself too thin, and tapered down my commitments. The past year or so I've been fortunate to have been a part of some sketch shows and podcasts, broadening my creative output. Those different forms of performance, with tangible repeatable results are, in some ways, more satisfying. After being able to do some different stuff and having some interesting opportunities my interests have started to shift.

Now I'm no longer really concerned with doing things right or often but doing things differently. When I perform I want to surprise myself, my cast mates, and the audience. I want to experiment and challenge myself and I think I'm good enough to have the result be just as, if not more, entertaining. I'd rather go into a show with no idea or no form or with something I'm not comfortable with. Or just to have fun with friends and what can hinder that sometimes is feeling like the form or the energy is stale.

I'm trying to be a little more judicious with my time and my commitments because I'm not interested in doing the same old thing. I want to do something different. not different in that performance-artist-make-the-audience-feel-weird kind of a way but different for me.

I don't want to try to refine and perfect the things that I already know how to do, that's just not where I'm at and maybe never will be. I've always had a desire to constantly push and learn the next thing and push and try the next thing.

There's nothing wrong with being an artist content with the mediums in which you operate, I understand that, I get trying again and again to make the perfect guitar riff in D minor or to paint the perfect sunset over The Badlands or to do a perfect Harold. I get it. But I don't want that. I don't have enough time to devote to just one thing.

I want to taste the fruit on all the trees.