Surviving the Taste Gap
Surviving the Taste Gap
Learning to coexist with the tension between your taste and skills.
Hello! I'm Pat, your guide to the business of creativity and innovation. New here? Join our supportive community to fuel your creative journey!
Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.
But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit.
Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.
Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one piece. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's normal to take a while. You've just gotta fight your way through.
You won't achieve your grand vision on the first attempt.
Or even the 100th.
But take heart – the fact that you recognize your work isn't great yet means you have the potential to make great work.
To get there you'll have to survive The Taste Gap.
As public radio legend Ira Glass describes it, The Taste Gap is the time when your skills don't yet allow you to create work at the level you envision.
It's a tough place to be. A test of the human spirit that lasts years with no shortcuts.
The only way through? Put in the work. Day after day, week after week, for years.
Crossing this gap isn’t a one-time deal either. You face it over and over.
I spent years thinking I’d leave the misery behind, only to surface new gaps as my skills and ambition grew.
Being able to envision ideas beyond your current capabilities is a gift and a curse. It drives progress but powers a harsh self-critic.
Even when your work becomes good and praised, you'll still feel there's a next level to unlock.
It's like chasing the horizon - always in sight but forever out of reach.
This isn't the self-destructive "tortured artist" trope. It's an inherent tension of the creative life, more like the idea of suffering in Buddhism.
We can't vanquish it.
We have to learn to coexist.
How to Coexist with the Taste Gap
Give yourself grace
Most people don't recognize great work, don't truly care, or simply quit. Feel gratitude that you care enough to persist and cut yourself some slack here and there when you’re feeling down.
Surround yourself with creatives
Creative work can be isolating. Surrounding yourself with others who understand the unique wins, failures and frustrations of creative life is crucial for persevering through tough times. In-person community is ideal, but online support helps too.
Remove friction
The hardest part is simply showing up to do the work day after day.
Optimize your life and workspace to reduce the friction of getting started. Make it easier to start than to avoid.
It might feel ridiculous to trick yourself like this, but trust me, it makes a big difference.
Set deadlines and ship
As Ira Glass mentions, deadlines are vital. They help you avoid perfectionism and actually ship work. Aim for a cadence just faster than feels reasonable to maximize quality repetitions.
The only way to make a masterpiece is to first make something good.
Until next time,
Pat
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Wow I definitely didn’t know about this concept of Taste Gap, but I highly resonate with it! Though I’ve been creating for nearly 6 years, I’ve gone through many periods of giving up because of the Taste Gap and feeling like I am unable to get the resources I need to get me to that next level in the near future. However, when you are a creative at heart, you always find your way back to creating with what you have!
Very much appreciate this essay, Pat! I always appreciate you bringing up topics that shed light to creatives and designers that we are not alone in the non-linear journey of creating! This definitely has uplifted my spirits and sparked more motivation to keep going ✨