“…But it was imperfect!” is a common refrain after a performance.
Since every performance you’ll ever give will be imperfect in some way, it’s probably a good idea to shift the “but” to the end of the phrase.
It was imperfect, but…
- I reached someone in the audience.
- I learned some things.
- I had fun.
- I can’t wait for the next one.
- I got to make music with my friends.
And if you can’t honestly say any of those, you can always fall back on
“but I’m not a heart surgeon, nobody’s life depended on my performance.”