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S2, Ep2: Perfect vs. Done: Kyle Metzger on Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Pursuing Art Anyway

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Manage episode 484945435 series 3634142
Content provided by Linda Lewis & Heather Manwaring, Linda Lewis, and Heather Manwaring. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Linda Lewis & Heather Manwaring, Linda Lewis, and Heather Manwaring or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Send us a text

In this episode, we sit down with longtime friend and creative force Kyle Metzger, an award-winning lighting designer and multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans ski films, fine furniture, carpentry, and photography. Through the lens of perfectionism, we explore how the desire to create something exceptional can become a paralyzing block. Kyle opens up about his journey navigating the tension between idealism and action, identity and ego, creative vision and real-world limitations. From career pivots and burnout to breakthrough projects and deeply personal insights, this is a powerful conversation for anyone who’s ever struggled to start (or finish) because it didn’t feel perfect.

We Chat About:

  • How perfectionism disguises itself as integrity, identity, and control
  • Why perfectionism often leads to procrastination, paralysis, or avoidance
  • The emotional cost of being “too precious” with your work
  • Navigating perfectionism as a multi-passionate creative
  • Kyle’s “I’ve arrived” moment after 20 years of quiet effort
  • Why design, lighting, and environment are emotional experiences
  • How ego and creative expression are deeply intertwined
  • The tension between wanting recognition and fearing exposure
  • Why small creative acts matter just as much as big ones
  • Giving yourself permission to be seen—even when it’s messy

About Kyle: Kyle Metzger is an award-winning lighting designer for films specializing in ski movies. He is also a talented carpenter, photographer, writer, farmer and chef. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with Kyle:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basil_wrathbone/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchetlerFilms

Website: https://www.chrisbenchetler.com/

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction to Kyle Metzger

01:15 – Which creative role feels most fulfilling now

02:30 – From film to carpentry: building as expression

05:00 – Why Kyle almost became an architect

06:45 – Choosing filmmaking: fear, freedom, and social life

08:50 – Charting a nonlinear creative career

10:20 – Advice for younger creatives: “You can do less in a day, more in a year”

12:00 – Current desires: writing, building, skiing, and solitude

14:00 – How Kyle’s rural upbringing shaped his creative eye

16:00 – Cooking as survival creativity

17:50 – What life in the film industry actually looks like

20:00 – The Mountains of the Moon project: skiing, psychedelics, and skeletons

23:00 – Authoring work vs. being a cog

25:00 – Kyle’s “I’ve arrived” moment in British Columbia

28:00 – Why he couldn’t have handled success any earlier

30:00 – Rejecting mainstream influence to preserve intuition

32:00 – Kyle’s take on perfectionism as ego and identity

34:00 – Trade-offs, reality checks, and the cost of idealism

36:00 – When perfectionism leads to avoidance

38:30 – How identity and self-image slow down creative starts

40:00 – The pain of sharing messy first drafts

42:00 – Complaining vs. caring deeply: reframing critical observation

44:30 – Crafting better experiences: the designer’s perspective

46:00 – Encouragement to share your lens with the world

49:00 – Why Kyle doesn’t post more—and how perfectionism gets in the way

53:00 – Shar

Connect with Us:

Creative Energy Podcast: www.wearecreativeenergy.com

Linda Lewis: www.lindalewcreative.com

Heather Manwaring: www.heathermanwaring.com

  continue reading

12 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 484945435 series 3634142
Content provided by Linda Lewis & Heather Manwaring, Linda Lewis, and Heather Manwaring. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Linda Lewis & Heather Manwaring, Linda Lewis, and Heather Manwaring or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Send us a text

In this episode, we sit down with longtime friend and creative force Kyle Metzger, an award-winning lighting designer and multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans ski films, fine furniture, carpentry, and photography. Through the lens of perfectionism, we explore how the desire to create something exceptional can become a paralyzing block. Kyle opens up about his journey navigating the tension between idealism and action, identity and ego, creative vision and real-world limitations. From career pivots and burnout to breakthrough projects and deeply personal insights, this is a powerful conversation for anyone who’s ever struggled to start (or finish) because it didn’t feel perfect.

We Chat About:

  • How perfectionism disguises itself as integrity, identity, and control
  • Why perfectionism often leads to procrastination, paralysis, or avoidance
  • The emotional cost of being “too precious” with your work
  • Navigating perfectionism as a multi-passionate creative
  • Kyle’s “I’ve arrived” moment after 20 years of quiet effort
  • Why design, lighting, and environment are emotional experiences
  • How ego and creative expression are deeply intertwined
  • The tension between wanting recognition and fearing exposure
  • Why small creative acts matter just as much as big ones
  • Giving yourself permission to be seen—even when it’s messy

About Kyle: Kyle Metzger is an award-winning lighting designer for films specializing in ski movies. He is also a talented carpenter, photographer, writer, farmer and chef. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with Kyle:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basil_wrathbone/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchetlerFilms

Website: https://www.chrisbenchetler.com/

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction to Kyle Metzger

01:15 – Which creative role feels most fulfilling now

02:30 – From film to carpentry: building as expression

05:00 – Why Kyle almost became an architect

06:45 – Choosing filmmaking: fear, freedom, and social life

08:50 – Charting a nonlinear creative career

10:20 – Advice for younger creatives: “You can do less in a day, more in a year”

12:00 – Current desires: writing, building, skiing, and solitude

14:00 – How Kyle’s rural upbringing shaped his creative eye

16:00 – Cooking as survival creativity

17:50 – What life in the film industry actually looks like

20:00 – The Mountains of the Moon project: skiing, psychedelics, and skeletons

23:00 – Authoring work vs. being a cog

25:00 – Kyle’s “I’ve arrived” moment in British Columbia

28:00 – Why he couldn’t have handled success any earlier

30:00 – Rejecting mainstream influence to preserve intuition

32:00 – Kyle’s take on perfectionism as ego and identity

34:00 – Trade-offs, reality checks, and the cost of idealism

36:00 – When perfectionism leads to avoidance

38:30 – How identity and self-image slow down creative starts

40:00 – The pain of sharing messy first drafts

42:00 – Complaining vs. caring deeply: reframing critical observation

44:30 – Crafting better experiences: the designer’s perspective

46:00 – Encouragement to share your lens with the world

49:00 – Why Kyle doesn’t post more—and how perfectionism gets in the way

53:00 – Shar

Connect with Us:

Creative Energy Podcast: www.wearecreativeenergy.com

Linda Lewis: www.lindalewcreative.com

Heather Manwaring: www.heathermanwaring.com

  continue reading

12 episodes

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