A better world, one prototype at the time

‘Making Art is allowing yourself to step out of predefined lines.’ Caroline Degroiselle

Perfectionism is a tendency to exert control over the outcome of a creative endeavor. It can be vicious but at the same time socially praised and accepted.

This relentless pursuit of order, of “predefined lines” is driven by two forces.

Firstly there is this universal fear, resonating with many in our modern world which is the fear of failure, the fear of breaking our hearts.

Secondly, perfectionism often arises from a deep-seated lack of trust, not just in our abilities but also in the inherent chaos of life and nature.

Yet this chaos that we fear so much is a core evolutionary force. Through change and environmental challenges in the natural world, chaos is a force that disrupts, often violently, a previous order, from it the blueprint of new life forms emerges.

From a creative and innovative perspective, it also brings new elements to the aftermath. By disrupting the status quo, it forces us to reevaluate our perspectives, it’s the force that allows us to splash the canvas with vibrant unexpected.

What emerges from this creative tumult is not just the return to order but a leap into a more evolved and inclusive order, that is synergetic and is always more than the sum of its parts. In some aspects, it can be called Art.

In this age of rapid technological advancement, it’s imperative to abandon the stifling grip of perfectionism and instead embrace a lean thinking position.

It’s a time to navigate chaos and disruption through the ‘Art of prototyping.’

Become Real

In its purest form, to create value in today’s world can be summarized as being real.

Real in a way that, BEFORE investing in design, productizing, and business modeling we think in terms of empathy.

Empathy is the force that allows us to have the vision of a real problem, a problem that corresponds to the pain of someone or something in a very literal way.

The skill of identifying real problems for real people is the way to create value that corresponds to the needs of a real market.

Lean, validate, fail faster and better

Building upon our understanding of empathy as the driving force behind creating value, we take a crucial step forward — prototyping. This is where the journey becomes tangible, where we leap into the unknown.

Prototyping involves trying something before it comes to perfection, to explore creativity and genius, driven by the stimulus of a problem to come up with a potential solution.

Prototyping a better world stands in contrast to the logic of the Industrial Age and the era of TV, where the model was to impose an “idea” to the masses, like the “idea of plastics”, without ever considering the desires and needs of individuals.

What comes NEXT takes courage — the courage to validate our assumptions, put our prototypes out into the world, and see if they are real responses to real, urgent problems.

In this process, we might succeed, but we might as well fail, which means that we might have our hearts broken.

Navigating our evolving world requires the empathy to put our hearts first, to prototype solutions to genuine problems, one courageous step at a time. It’s a generosity of spirit to lean into uncertainty, to try, to fail, and ultimately to fail better.

Success will be the concrete result of having previously clarified a problem, ideated solutions, and iterated prototypes, till it is clear that our craft resonates with people who say, “This is exactly what we were waiting for.”

Perfectionism is your one true enemy.

Ultimately, perfectionism will keep the conversation going about you and how good you look in the eyes of others, which in the end holds you from starting to use your heart to feel and connect with someone else’s heart and pain.

Hiding behind perfectionism is not putting your heart up first. Is not realizing that chaos, as a broken heart is a milestone of growth. It is a sign that you’ve pushed boundaries, embraced the reality of chaos, and lived.

So, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on your creative journey and the role perfectionism plays in it. Then, get together, find a community, and start creating a better culture — one prototype at a time.

Let’s build a world where empathy and innovation thrive, unburdened by the pursuit of perfection.