I notice most musicians leaning one way or the other when it comes to quantity vs quality. On one side there are players who put out recordings and play at every possible turn, and on the other musicians who only present themselves when they are fully prepared confident in what they are putting out there. I'm not judging one as better than the other here- there have been many instances throughout history of great things being done both ways. Presenting this as a either/or situation is misleading. You may feel strongly one way or the other, but in reality there are good things to take from both schools of thought.
Performing and recording a lot is crucial to get to the comfortable mental state when in these situations. That doesnt mean releasing three albums a year as a student, but there are so many in between stepping stones nowadays, from releasing live video clips on youtube, audio on soundcloud, and shorter length releases to digital media via cdbaby.
By performing less often you make your performances more unique, something your fans and friends can look forward to instead of assuming will always be happening. While you may never be totally satisfied with a final product, by setting your standard high you are always encouraging a good work ethic.
I remember reading an interview with Quentin Tarantino where he said something along the lines of "I want a new fan to be able to pick up any of movies and not happen upon the one that I made to build an extension on my house."
This issue of consistency of quality is one that plagues musicians. In most cases, it is more about making rent than expanding mansions, so the quantity of output has to be great.
On the other hand I remember on more than one occasion musicians bringing in a song to a band rehearsal with such an inflexible idea of what it should sound like that it was unattainable- leading to group frustration. Think of what your group sounds like and how your individual band members play and dont forget to listen to the end result without holding it up to an imaginary construct or you risk being disappointed in music that might be better than you realize.
(Tarantino interview)
(Media platforms)