For my friend Maya, who graduates soon, I added this quote from Maria Tallchief who was a prima ballerina. She was the first American to hold that title, and was also the first Native American to hold the rank. Like a lot of us, Maya is a perfectionist. I think Maria Tallchief has a great perspective on what perfection really means:
If anything at all,
– Maria Tallchief 2013
perfection is not when there is nothing to add,
but when there is nothing left to take away.
The world tells us that perfect skin, perfect teeth, the perfect dress, perfect grades, living in a perfect place, driving the perfect car, or even the perfect answer is THE most important thing. Growing up is hard enough without always working to be perfect. Perfection is not a score or race to win. Perfection is the lie that the internet, peer pressure and overbearing others tell us we need to be. In reality – which is the world I want to live in – no one, NO ONE is perfect. They may appear that way in a post or video, yet in reality all of us are flawed and fumble…which is what makes each of us a perfect version of ourselves.
There never has been, nor will there ever be ANYONE who is exactly like you. Identical twins are not perfectly aligned or identical. Each and every one of us is unique, special, and given gifts and talents that only we can employ. The challenge in life is not about being perfect, it is about crafting and creating the life we want and are able to sustain, NO MATTER what anyone thinks, says, or posts. No matter your age, weight or size, YOU are the perfect version of yourself right now. Could you get better, sure. Might you learn a few things to hone your skills and talents, absolutely! Maybe you might benefit from a bit of courageous feedback and tips on how to do what you do better. Maybe you could speak less and listen more, or not ponder as long about saying your idea for fear of being wrong. We all have things we could do better, and things we didn’t even know we needed to know until we end up in some situation.
Life is an adventure, a gift. It is not about reaching the point where there is nothing left to add, it is about reaching the point where there are no more bad habits, biting comments, or snide posts to present to the world. When we are our best selves we are confident, positive, kind and teachable. We want to get better to be able to bring our genuine self to the world. THAT is when our gifts, talents and ideas are most able to impact our spaces.
The photo of my art does not reveal my secret. The wavy lines on the left side hide a mistake I made, so I had to cut the mistake page out using a wavy pair of scissors. I then redid the piece on the next clean page which makes the way drawn and cut lines look intentional. I think this mistake is the perfect secret to revel in a post about perfection. Nothing is perfect, no matter what your Mother tells you, no matter how the photo looks. Being able to make a mistake, learn a way to improve something, or even being strong enough to be your genuine self – THAT is the path to happiness and contentment. So today I wish you the ability to see your inner beauty and courage, no matter what. Be proud of who you are and let go of striving for perfection.
Ann Art Gallery Blog 