imperfection - I accidentally jogged the ISO dial forcing the camera to compensate by slowing down the exposure. Imperfection at its best.
Go and read Michelle’s piece on Leaving the imperfections in.. Embracing imperfection, or at least not letting the fear of imperfection hold me back has been a struggle. Whether it is language learning, photography, or a technical demo at work, the desire for things to be perfect has always been present. It has taken a conscious effort to try and embrace the imperfections.
“One thing I enjoy […] is that I can release myself from the pressure of delivering a perfect finished product.”
It was only after reading Michelle’s article that I realise just how much my efforts to accept imperfection have paid off. I’ve accepted that I don’t enjoy the process of editing a photo. Embracing the image as it appears off the camera has freed me to enjoy the process of capturing images.
Embracing imperfections in my Chinese has allowed me to participate in longer more engaging discussions. Accepting that my understanding will be incomplete, or often wrong is hard. Accepting that I won’t be able to articulate the thoughts I have because of a language limitation can be embarrassing. But trying and embracing the flaws has been rewarding.
But it is Michelle’s conclusion that really resonated with me. In my thoughts on photography I remarked,
“I enjoy photography not because each image perfectly captures the experience of being in a moment. I enjoy it because of its limitations and imperfections, the things it leaves out.”
The same is true for all forms of art.
“There is nothing to read between the lines. These days I would much rather see the hand of the artist in any work of art, not just despite its imperfections but because of them. Imperfect is human.”
– Michelle Barker
Don’t let the search for perfection hold you back.