When is a creative project done? And is that even the point?

If we can’t always get every project to a state of wholeness, what is the end?

Photo by Kim Daniels on Unsplash

When is a creative work finished? And is that different than done? And are those distinct from complete?

This question was sparked by that art is merely abandoned quote, often attributed to da Vinci.

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” – Leonardo da Vinci (maybe)

Creative projects: finished vs done vs complete

When it comes to “done” or “finished”, I think those states are declared.

But I do think you can sense when a creative project is “complete.”

When there is nothing left to add, and nothing left to remove, the work has a wholeness about it.

And I don’t know how to describe the feeling any more accurately at the moment than: it’s kind of like when a lemon curd sets, or when an ice cube melts.

It’s not quite ready, not quite ready, not quite ready, not quite ready. And then it’s lemon curd.

It’s still ice, still ice, still ice, still ice. And then it's not.

If every project had unlimited time and space it would be one thing. We may always be able to reach that point of wholeness.

But creating in the real world is messier.

Sometimes it’s a timeline or a deadline or impatience. Opening night doesn’t budge. The paper goes to print when it goes to print. Manuscripts are due when they are due.

Sometimes it’s a lack of skill. We don’t always have the technical skill set to complete the work we envision.

Sometimes, it’s something else.

In those moments we get as close as we can with the resources at hand. Even if the limiting resource is us.

We can’t always get every project to that state of wholeness. Sometimes we declare it close enough (or close enough for now) and move on to the next project.

Maybe we’ll decide to come back to this project in the future. Maybe we’ll come back to the concept. Or maybe it’ll be a stepping stone to something else.

I started this essay by asking myself to try and articulate my opinion on the distinction between “finished”, “done”, and “complete”.

I think I found my distinction between finished/done and complete. (One day I may decide to tease out the difference between finished and done).

But I don’t know that finished or done or complete is even a requirement unless you’re on a contract. Incomplete, unfinished, and close-enough-but-not-quite-done works can have value.

However, I do know that if you want someone to see a piece of work you need to let them see it, complete or not.