Image from Microsoft Bing Desktop Images
Art is all around us, when I look through posts from other people, I often find beautiful images of birds, flowers, and scenery. Often many artists attempt to recreate nature with stunning pieces of work. I truly admire those whose art transfers them to another place while working on their project. When I gaze upon their work, I, too, am taken to another place. Just imagining what they see and how they transform their vision leaves me in awe.
As I work through my makes and projects, my goal is to push to perfection before I share anything. That perfection can often hold me back as I spend painstaking hours trying to make the object of my project look amazing. Yet, not sharing the imperfections can often lead to frustration. Is a make or work of art less valuable if it hits the 90% perfect over the 100% perfect?
Is it really worth the number of extra hours to achieve that last 10%? or do we actually get to perfection at all? if you look at nature, what we think is perfection, is often not true. There are imperfections every place you can imagine. So why do we cling on to the fact that our work has to be perfect? Would we not accomplish more by hitting 90%?
That question is left to each and every one of us to decide. Do we expect 100% and just settle for 90% or are the imperfections what makes our work unique?
For me, I have to let go of needing that perfection as it slows down what I can make and do. Yes, you do have to work through failures (my attempts at paper engineering have proven that to me) to come up with that personal perfect piece.
The latest trend in surface art (art that is applied to mugs, shirts, bedding, etc.) is to emphasize that imperfection. I noticed some beautiful cups in Starbucks and those cups opening displayed wild brush strokes to show imperfection. I, for one, am pushing myself to offer more flair and imperfection in my work to give it a truly hand-crafted and hand-designed look.
None of this takes away from your work, it shows your individualism and people truly appreciate the hand-made aspect. My home is filled with the beauty of hand-made and hand-crafted works. My craft today is no exception.
How far do you push yourself to be perfect?
Bette
BTW Don't forget our facebook group http://facebook.com/groups/CopiousCrafts
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