What is Imperfect Idea?
Imperfect Idea is a place to create, share, and continue developing stories, artwork, and other ideas.
Imperfect Idea is built around a simple idea: something doesn't have to be finished to be shared. You can share something you're proud of, something you're still working on, something you simply wanted to make, or something you'd like feedback on before you continue.
Each month, we highlight a selection of stories, artwork, and other creations as Editor's Choice. We consider originality, creativity, reader engagement, and variety. Carrots and views may help us discover work, but they don't determine our selections. Editor's Choice is simply work that caught our attention and that we think other people might enjoy discovering.
Who is Imperfect Idea?
Imperfect Idea was created by imperfect storytellers and artists who felt that we shouldn't have to wait until our work is perfect before we share it.
Leonardo da Vinci is often credited with saying that art is never finished, only abandoned.
We like that idea. We think that abandoned doesn't have to mean forgotten.
Imperfect Idea is a place where you can leave an idea as it is, come back to it later, or keep changing it for as long as you want. It doesn't have to be perfect to be shared.
Do I need an account?
No. You can explore Imperfect Idea and use parts of the site without creating an account.
Creating an account gives you a persistent identity and lets you keep track of and manage the stories, drawings, and other work you create.
Who can read my stories?
Stories that you choose to list can be discovered by other people through the site.
You can also leave a story unlisted. An unlisted story doesn't appear in the public story listings, although someone who has its direct link may still be able to view it.
You control whether your story is listed or unlisted from your account.
Who can edit my stories?
Stories associated with your Creator account belong to you. Other visitors can read a story you've shared, but they cannot edit it.
You can continue editing and adding to your story after you've shared it.
Who can see my drawings?
There are two separate things to consider with drawings: whether a drawing is listed and whether it is protected.
Listed and Unlisted
A listed drawing can appear in the public Gallery. An unlisted drawing does not appear there, although someone with the direct link may still be able to view it.
Protected and Unprotected
Protection controls who can edit a drawing. It does not determine whether the drawing can be seen.
A protected drawing can only be edited by its owner or someone who has been given the appropriate access. An unprotected drawing can be edited by other people who open it.
If you create a drawing anonymously rather than as part of your Creator account, it remains a public, ownerless drawing and cannot be protected.
What does Live Updates do?
Live Updates lets someone else see changes to a drawing while you're working on it.
When Live Updates is being used, changes can appear on the other person's screen without them having to continually reload the drawing. This makes it useful when two people are looking at or working with the same drawing at the same time.
Live Updates doesn't give someone permission to edit a drawing they otherwise wouldn't be allowed to edit.
Can I use Layers?
Yes. Creator-owned drawings can use Layers when you have permission to edit the drawing.
Layers let you separate artwork into different parts so you can work with them independently. You can change their visibility, order, and opacity while you're working.
Normal Live Updates aren't available while working in Layers, but Share lets you show another person individual layers while you work. When you're finished, you can use Merge All to combine the layers back into a normal drawing.
How do I report a problem or send an idea?
Imperfect Idea itself is still an imperfect idea. If something doesn't work the way you expect—or you think there's a better way for it to work—we'd like to hear about it.
Use Feedback & Support to tell us about a problem, suggest an improvement, or send us an idea.