What we crave for is not the perfect, but the real.
Our penchant for realness is illustrated by thriving markets for handmade soaps, food and clothing. Vintage vinyl records are valued higher than their ‘digitally remastered’ counterparts. The Japanese have a term for our affinity towards imperfection – wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is a aesthetic centered on seeing the beauty in the imperfect, the impermanent and the incomplete.
As artists, perfection lets us hide. Our misplaced pursuit of perfection often results in procrastination, leading us to coin excuses such as ‘writer’s block’. The real measure of an artist’s work is not their ability to envision, but their ability to ship. Your art is what what you put out into the world – not an illusory standard that you hope to someday achieve.
Perfection is over-rated. Don’t let it get in the way of doing real work.
