Authentic Imperfection

In a strange twist of fate, my Mom retired on the day COVID lockdown began. She'd been working at our local library for 20 years, and though she was sad to leave, she was very much looking forward to retirement. It was fortunate that she didn't have to continue working during the pandemic, but it was also not exactly the best time to celebrate the opening of the next chapter of her life.

About a year later, we started working on clearing out our spare room. Which became known as our craft room. And eventually, my Mom began to engage more in the creativity she didn't have the time or energy for when she was working. I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to see her creativity come to life. But I noticed that perfectionism was sometimes getting in her way.

She's always admired me as a creative, and though I often hesitate to feel like I'm worthy of giving advice, I pulled this tidbit out of my head: it's more important to be interesting than perfect. And I really want to share this with creatives of all types. Believe me, I understand the desire to get everything 'perfect'. I, too, have an overly critical voice in my head. But...

Years ago, I mentioned on a Twitter writing tag that I fear over-editing and want to keep my writing raw and emotional. And I got a baffled response saying they had never heard anyone say that before. Truthfully, wild and raw writing appeals to me more than the idea of a 'perfectly crafted' story, hitting all the recommended 'beats'. I don't want to downplay good plotting (or smart editing), but I prefer the focus to be on emotions and vulnerability and connection with the characters. Things that don't have to adhere to some pre-approved formula.

In the end, we all have things that try to hold us back from creating. But I believe each of us has a unique spark that is meant to be shared with the world. And if we're holding ourselves back with fears of not being perfect, we may never get to let our hearts and souls show their own raw beauty. And that, to me, is far worse than being seen as imperfect.