Artists create beautiful paintings and sculptures. Critics, on the other hand, love discussing the deep meaning behind those artworks.

They love discussing things that might or might not be relevant to build it, but they sound smart.

But when the artists themselves meet up, they tend to talk about more practical matters.

Instead of philosophizing, they’re more interested in where to find good deals on basic supplies like turpentine, which is used to clean brushes and thin paint.

“When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together they talk about where you can buy cheap turpentine.” – Picasso (via Ribbonfarm)

Artists in this realm are more interested in iterating on their work, while critics, or people who just talk, are looking to find meaning, where it might not exist.

I see this divide all the time around me.

So many builders scour ProductHunt everyday, trying out all the new products, figuring out what technique works best, why does one product get popular than the other, which design system converts well, etc.

They have, or at least seem to have, all the theory they need to build that perfect product.

Meanwhile, people who are shipping, are perfecting the skills to make their products great. They’re talking about correct framework to build it in, techniques to reduce time to ship, figure out cheaper hosting, etc.

I have never seen something executed perfectly in the first attempt. There are always a bunch of unsuccessful attempts before something becomes a big hit.

Basic planning is fine, but when you start postponing work under the pretense of learning to make it perfect, you’re not moving forward at all.

It’s kind of like how business experts discuss grand strategies and market theories.

Meanwhile, good entrepreneurs are usually more focused on the nitty-gritty details – things like finding affordable suppliers, managing employees, and keeping costs low.

The ideas and philosophies are interesting, but at the end of the day, you need to make sure you have the turpentine to keep your brushes clean and your businesses running.

Focus on doing the work, not on perfecting the work even before starting.