Even if it’s never our intention, cropping the things we create to look at small areas has a way of magnifying their flaws.

Whether it’s the unsteadiness of drawn lines or how hard it is to capture the metallic sheen of gold ink in a uniform way in a photograph, our instinct is to search out the imperfections.

In many cultures, creating imperfections in things is a deliberate act. In Japanese culture, the act of creating deliberate imperfections is called “wabi sabi” and in Navajo culture, when applied to rug weaving, the resulting imperfection is called a “spirit line” or “spirit pathway.”

Knowing that these philosophies, and others, about making deliberate imperfections exist is sometimes comforting to someone like me who is a recovering perfectionist.

Nonetheless, whether we are aware that these philosophies exist or not, it’s up to us to take a step back when looking at the bigger picture, to accept and appreciate what we’ve created, flaws and all.

_____ Deliberate Imperfections – January 2020 – 1 _____

_____ Deliberate Imperfections – January 2020 – 2 _____