It all started with a blog logo.
Since launching Currently, Lately back in August of last year, I’ve had a hard time settling on a blog logo. I created a simple one using a program online during my first week of blogging, but it wasn’t something I was satisfied with. The graphic was small and blurry and it failed to capture exactly what I wanted out of my blog logo. I wasn’t too worried about it though. I had just started a blog and I knew there were plenty of other things for me to be working on. I needed to create content, take photos, set up social media. In the grand scheme of things, my blog logo didn’t seem important.
With everything else I had going on, I made the decision to leave up the logo that I disliked. I told myself it was something that I could quickly fix once my blog was officially up and running. That there was no point in fixating on a tiny little logo when there were bigger focuses I needed to worry about.
Despite how hard I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t a big deal, I couldn’t let go of the logo. Every time I saw it, I found myself feeling incredibly dissatisfied. It continued to bother me no matter what I did, so I decided to start designing a new one. I downloaded different apps with logo-making features and experimented with different styles and colors. When I wasn’t writing blog posts or taking photos, I was attempting to create a logo that completely embodied the vision that I had in my head.
As the months passed, I had dozens of prospective logos saved to my camera roll. While I liked many of them, I didn’t feel like they were exactly what I was looking for. I assumed when I designed the right logo I would immediately know, but nothing I made did that. Design after design and I wasn’t feeling anything. I thought I could put something up and just learn to like it, but that didn’t help either.
Then, a couple of days ago, I reached the highest point of frustration. I sat down and decided that I wasn’t going to work on anything else until I had chosen a new blog logo. A bit of inspiration struck me, so I opened up my logo maker and created something fun and simple.
I really liked the way that this new logo turned out. It wasn’t anything like the vision I had inside my head, but that’s when I realized that was all it would ever be–a vision. The idea of what I wanted out of a logo wasn’t realistic or attainable. It was an abstract thought with no substance, which I now realize was my brain’s way of asking for perfection.
I think that sometimes we build things up inside our heads way too high. We expect things to reach an unattainable level of perfection. When I first started designing blog logos, I didn’t have a solid idea of what I wanted. All I knew was that the logos I was designing weren’t good enough. While I tried to create that perfect logo, I failed to see that I was fighting an endless battle. The quest for perfection doesn’t have a final destination. You can keep going and going, but it won’t make things happen.
One thing that’s extremely important, but hard to accept, is that life is filled with imperfections. Nothing we do will be without flaws. Getting tripped up by your desire for perfection will only slow you down. For months, I kept a blog logo that I disliked a lot just because I couldn’t decide on something that was anything less than perfect. And now I see how ridiculous that was to strive for.
I’m a big believer in working as hard as you can, but I think there’s a fine line between wanting to work hard and wanting to achieve perfection. It’s important to have high standards for yourself, but it’s equally important to know that perfection shouldn’t be your end goal. Learning to embrace imperfection is a critical part of being happy with what you do.
How do you feel about embracing imperfection?
Sincerely,
Currently, Lately 
Love your logo! I haven’t found one I love yet so I’m still waiting for the right one to come around!
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Thank you so much! You’ll definitely find one you like! 🙂
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I love your logo! I am still struggling with the same issue and I’m sure I’ll change it a few times before the end of the calendar year but I love yours! I also love your slogan “the everything bagel of lifestyle blogging” this is perfect!! 🙌🏼
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Thank you so much! I think changing it can be good because it gives you a better idea of what you like and what you don’t like! 🙂
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I love the idea of embracing imperfection. As you said, nothing is always flawless. I personally like imperfection since it means it has something to improve and grow. Is it weird that I think perfection is just something that’s done and nothing interesting about it?
By the way, I like your new logo. Simple and cute ❤
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That’s such a great way of looking at it! There really is nothing interesting about perfection. Imperfection is what gives things character and uniqueness! And thank you so much 🙂
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I notice people who get famous and a lot of loves are those imperfect ones. They look more like a human to me. XD XD
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I relate to this so much! I must have changed my logo 20 times before I finally made one that I liked. Yours is so cute!
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I have had my blog for over a year now and I still haven’t found any kind of logo that I’m happy with yet. Yours looks nice though, I love the simplicity of it!
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I love this; I agree. My logo (while I like it) isn’t what I’d call an effective logo – same with my blog design – but I think the content is the most important part 🙂 xx
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I agree! Quality content is what is going to keep bringing people to your blog, not a blog design or logo! 🙂
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love the logo, the simplicity of it, which can say more than a detailed one. To embrace imperfection, as much as I myself don’t like it, can lead to many frustrating moments, to embrace, respect imperfection, you have to accept there will always be moments of imperfection, it is the road to improvement. x
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Looking for perfection only, rightly or wrongly, causes more imperfections. Rather look for continual improvement.
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Love your logo. Thanks for such a inspiring post.
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You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
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I’m a disaster with imperfection! I like to have things ‘just so’ and yet, they’re never perfect! Bit of a vicious circle!
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I have struggled with this my whole life. I always want things to be perfect, and that just isn’t realistic. It definitely takes time to embrace imperfection, but it is so important to do. I love your logo! Simple and beautiful!
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I love the logo! I totally agree on doing your best to embrace things you aren’t necessarily happy with but that doesn’t mean you can’t also strive to adapt or change them – which is applicable to so many things in life! Great post! xx
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