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One thing I’ve learned since starting a business is how implausible it is to execute an exacting vision without compromise. Perfection resists progress!
Few were as inflexible in their creative process as the late Stanley Kubrick. The interior scenes of Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon were lit using only candles to mimic authentic lighting available in the 18th century. To achieve this, ultra-fast Carl Zeiss 50mm f/0.7 lenses originally developed by NASA to photograph the dark side of the moon were used to capture scenes. Crew members recalled that oxygen levels dropped so low during takes that they grew dizzy and had to open windows between shots to clear the air. His pursuit of control bordered on pathology.
There are many stories (and a fastidious tome, Napoleon: The Greatest Film Never made) chronicling the late director’s unwillingness to make concessions. Every project was a study in total authorship, but also in stillness; the more Kubrick pursued mastery, the longer he remained suspended in preparation. The book is a stark reminder of how obsessive one can be about a project that, ultimately, never saw the light of day. (Tell that to my drawer of failed fragrance experiments.)
Uncompromised creativity is the ultimate goal for any creative, and most certainly for me. The ability to design an event where every detail is exactly right. Packaging that is both aesthetically manifest and functional and recyclable. A formula rich with clean and quality materials, tinkered with until it combines a smell that not only draws a nose close, but lasts long. Serviette would not exist in its current form if I was more Kubrickian in my control. Sometimes the victory is simply moving forward, however imperfectly.
History has a rule of thumb: the perfect is the enemy of the good. Voltaire popularized it in 1770 (“Il meglio è l’inimico del bene”), with earlier variants from Montesquieu. The point is operational, not poetic: chase perfection and you may never ship. Artists say it another way: a work is never finished, only abandoned. How I wish I could continue adapting and tweaking my formulas. But at what cost? How do you know when to let something go?
For Serviette, the lesson is clear. Perfection is a mirage that moves as you approach it. The real art lies in knowing when to release the work, when “good” carries more meaning than “complete.” Momentum is the more sustainable form of mastery, but striking that balance is the testament of a great brand versus a good one. Hopefully it goes without saying, but Serviette strives to be great.