04
Better Subjects
IF WE ARE TO GO BEYOND the idea of good and create a series of questions that informs our work and pushes us to make work that does what we want it to do, then we need to discuss the alternatives to “good.”
The most obvious alternative to good is perfect. We often talk in terms of something being good, but when it’s even better—when it can’t be refined any further—it is perfect. But if the question “Is it good?” is problematic, then “Is it perfect?” is even more so. It’s unanswerable. And as a goal, it’s unattainable. If “Is it good?” is trying to hit a moving target, then “Is it perfect?” is trying to hit a target that doesn’t exist but which has a very real and toxic effect on the creative spirit. But since the word comes ...
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