The Courage to Accept Imperfection

Let me begin with a confession: This half painted canvas has occupied my mantle piece for months.

At first it bothered me, serving as a constant reminder of an incomplete, imperfect artistic pursuit. An irritating tribute to my busyness.

But overtime, I have grown fond of it. It's incompleteness is somewhat of a comfort to me. This shift represents growth. It is the result of an important lesson I am learning:

Often, ideas occupy a position of perfection in our minds. The perfect piece of art, the perfect conversation, the perfect job application. But perfection (in our human capacity) is an illusion. I think it exists in theory but rarely in practice.

So the courage to bring our ideas to life through action is the acceptance that they will inevitably take an imperfect form. The acceptance of imperfection is my remedy for procrastination. The pursuit of perfection is a cause of inaction.

‘Art sets out to be unique. Since the artist is not exactly sure of where she wants to get to, the artistic process is experimental, speculative. And it must often fail.’  - Quentin Newark

I am learning that creativity should be a pioneering act. Done well, it should involve you venturing into the unknown. Having a set idea of the end product before you start is unhelpful. You shouldn't box yourself in. Open-mindedness produces powerful art.

This so obviously translates into navigating life. The correlations between creating art and principles for life always leave me dumfounded!

I am learning to experiment, to speculate, and to fail, both in life and in art.