Polish vs. Execution

 

 

One of the toughest challenges I face — both as an artist and someone living with OCD — is knowing when to stop refining and just finish something.

I tend to revisit ideas, revise plans, and reshape opinions in loops. There’s always room to improve, to add, to rework. And while that kind of reflection has value, it also leads to something dangerous: inaction.

Too much polish, not enough execution.

This is where AI has become a practical tool for me. It doesn't override my OCD, but it helps me break the loop. It offers a second perspective when I’m stuck chasing perfection, and reminds me that movement — even imperfect movement — is better than standing still.

I'm learning that done doesn’t mean perfect. It means functional. It means shareable. It means ready enough to let it breathe — and build from there.

Polish is important. But execution is progress.

About the image:

I asked the AI assisting me to visualize what “polish vs. execution” means — conceptually, emotionally, creatively. I gave minimal direction, just the core idea. What it returned on the second iteration wasn’t just aligned with my vision — it was my vision, rendered in full.

Whether you consider AI-generated work to be art or not, I believe this process — co-creating with minimal prompting, in search of meaning — is artistic. This image was created by AI based on our shared understanding of the themes in this post. A deeper conversation about authorship and originality is coming in a future entry.