Un-Perfection

 

Human perfection is unattainable. Ponder that. Some people come close in certain areas, but no one hits the bullseye every single time. Get used to it. Embrace it.

 

In a lot of my altered books I have illustrated the following paragraph. I don’t know who originally wrote it:

 

“I’m not a perfect girl. My hair doesn’t always stay in place and I spill things a lot. I’m pretty clumsy and sometimes I have a broken heart. My friends and I sometimes fight and maybe some days nothing goes right. But when I think about it and take a step back, I remember how amazing life truly is and that maybe, just maybe, I like being unperfect…”

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Another concept of un-perfection is the Japanese idea of wabi-sabi. It’s a relaxing acceptance of the transience of nature and life. It favors the imperfect and incomplete in everything: pottery, architecture, flower arranging, art.

Wabi – the elegant beauty of humble simplicity.

Sabi -- the passing of time and subsequent deterioration.

 

Nothing lasts forever, enjoy it NOW.

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Then there’s this post from Facebook that smacked me in the face the other day. When Sarah and Lia were up here at Easter, I was whining about how I didn’t have any talents. Both of them are fantastic artists. I can MAYBE manage a recognizable stick figure. I love music and singing, but am totally awful in the singing department. I can play the piano fairly well, but not up to MY exacting standards. Here’s what the post said: (The capitalization is mine)

 

“Destroy the idea that you gotta be good at artistic things to enjoy them, that every hobby has to become something you’re so good at, you can monetize it. THAT IS A LIE. Sing off-key, draw poorly, write badly. LIFE IS MEANT TO BE ENJOYED, not monetized. You are not a product.”

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I CHALLENGE YOU – (and myself)

Write down things you enjoy/love doing, no matter what level of competency you’re at.

DO THEM. HAVE FUN. ENJOY YOURSELF.