Letting Go of Perfectionism: The Mindset Every New Independent Artist Needs

If you’re just starting your journey as an independent artist, there’s one thing that will slow you down more than lack of money, connections, or gear: perfectionism.

You might not notice it at first, because perfectionism often disguises itself as “high standards,” “being careful,” or “just wanting things to look good.”But in reality? For most artists, perfectionism is fear wearing nice clothes.

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of struggling with it myself, and how you can break free before it blocks your growth.

1. You Might Suck at First, And That’s Actually Perfect

Every beginner feels the same anxiety:“What if people judge me?”“What if my first songs aren’t good enough?”“What if people think I’m cringe?”

But here’s the truth:When you start, almost nobody is paying attention, and that’s a gift.

Low attention means you get a “safe sandbox” to make mistakes, experiment, and grow without the whole world watching.Most of the fear comes from imaginary scenarios involving people who don’t even impact your life.

Don’t let the version of yourself that’s scared of judgement stop the version of yourself that wants to make art.

2. You’re Not a Celebrity (Yet), So Stop Acting Like One

A lot of new artists drop one perfect song per year, with a cinematic photoshoot… and then disappear.But when you’re new, trying to be mysterious, polished, or “above” frequent posting hurts you, not helps you.

Perfect branding is for artists who already have millions of fans. You? You’re in the building phase, and building requires volume, consistency, and visibility.

Stop protecting an image that doesn’t exist yet. Stop waiting for “the perfect moment” to post.

You get to become the artist people care about, but you can’t do that if you only show up once a year.

3. You’re Doing the World a Disservice by Not Sharing Your Work

Your music might not feel “ready.”But guess what? It might already mean something to someone.

Some of the songs I thought were “mid” ended up being the exact ones people messaged me about. They connected because of the emotion, not the technical perfection.

Most listeners can’t hear:

• the slightly messy EQ

• the not-quite-perfect master

• the minor mixing flaws

But they can hear:

• the vibe

• the feeling

• the authenticity

• the message

If you never release, you rob people of the chance to find something they might love. Your “unfinished” might be someone else’s favorite.

4. Show Your Growth, Not a Filtered Version of Yourself

People don’t connect with perfection, they connect with progress.

Sharing your early work allows fans to:

• root for you

• watch your skills evolve

• feel like they’re part of your journey

• respect your consistency

Most importantly: It gives you a real record of your evolution.

The people who unfollow you because you’re learning? Let them go. They’re not meant for where you’re headed anyway.

Final Thoughts

Perfectionism keeps talented artists silent. It convinces you to hide, edit, polish, overthink, and delay, when the thing that will actually build your career is releasing, learning, and moving on to the next song.

Allowing yourself to make mistakes is the same thing as allowing yourself to grow.

So share the song. Post the beat. Upload the video. Start messy. Start imperfect. Start now.

Your future fans will thank you for it.