When “doing things right” goes wrong

Devin Greene
Jul 30, 2017 · 4 min read

“Letting the perfect be the enemy of the good” is really, really, really, really common, especially in the video domain. It comes down to people’s fear of finishing things. The reality of creative work never seems to match up with our mental image, so we avoid reality. We prefer to fantasize about sponsorships and festivals and marketing schemes. I’ve learned to be ruthless about this, because my whole adult life there’s been someone telling me “we can’t start, we need this first.”

I quit a job in the communications department at a church when they came down on me for trying to conduct an interview during my lunch break. TRYING, not actually CONDUCTING. For a video they’d asked me to do. They assured me that this was a very serious offense, I had completely disrespected the chain of command by taking initiative! What the fuck was I thinking? I told them to peace off and lit a gas station cigar in the office.

…is something that never happened.

Is my Swisher sweet enough for you?

At my next job, I spent months begging to make green screen videos which I’d written and purchased the equipment for. I was sure if I did all the work, they would have no way of saying no, especially since this is what they hired me for. I was wrong. My scripts had to go through 3 different editors, none of whom were writers or comedians. When they were finally finished after a month-long wait, they’d ask me to lose all the jokes. Instead, I would shoot it both ways, and people would tell me that the jokes were their favorite part. Still, I worked there for two years and only got a handful of videos made. The original plan had been to make one a week. They preferred paying me the same amount to make less, all so they could “do things right.” I found out later that there was more going on: I was flat-out told that the person running the company was worried about me outshining him. That was my cue to leave.

If that’s called “doing things right,” then I wanna be oh so wrong.

Guess what you’re left with at the end of any project? What you DID, not what you DID RIGHT. You’re concerned about doing it right because you don’t actually want to do it. Maybe you’re worried the project will get away from you, and it won’t make you look good. Maybe you’re worried about embarrassment. Maybe you’re just scared of the work. If you let this fear get the best of you, you’re going to accept all sorts of pointless delays and complications. Sometimes doing nothing feels less risky than doing something.

It’s like people who say “I can’t run until I have the right sneakers.” They clearly haven’t met as many Ethiopians as I have. Shoes are optional, and so is “right.”

Here’s what I’d rather have: 9 wrong things than nothing, because I love making things. It’s why I’m on this Earth, and if you’re going to make things, you’re going to make mistakes. You should be trying to make mistakes. The curse of being a creative doer is having to explain to managers and executives that you need the wrongs to make the rights. You miss all the shots you never take! Haven’t you read a poster!?

Go ahead and watch your favorite director’s first movie and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I do this with comedians all the time, when I get too precious about my own jokes. Richard Pryor bombed in the first comedy special I saw him in. That wrong helped create the greatest comedian of all time. Two wrongs do make a right, motherfuckers! And ten wrongs make even more rights! So go fuck something up and stop worrying about it.

Speaking of wrong…check out my YouTube Channel for videos about the creative process and the comedy scene in Los Angeles. It’s very, very wrong.

SUBSCRIBE if you LIKE!

Youtube.com/DevinGreene. Stand-up Comedian. Documentary Filmmaker. Video Blogger. Animal. Vegetable. Mineral. Friend.

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