Imperfection.

Someone once said to me “yes but, your imperfection has to be perfect”. This has always resonated with me. This was communicated to me in the context of my process of how I was styling a bedding collection for a photo shoot. My goal and vision was to capture an unmade bed, as though someone had just risen, leaving behind all the rumples and mushiness of a bed well slept in. I wanted to capture the comfort and inviting qualities, a beautiful mess of sorts. Relatable and inviting rather than a polished and perfectly made bed, with smoothed out covers and pillows lined up and orderly. And yes, it is true every rumple, every ruffle and the placement of each mushy pillow I mindfully place finding the balance of beauty and authenticity.

Typically, I don’t fully make my bed in the morning. Partly because I like my linens to air during the day. So with my bed I smooth out my fitted sheet, fold back my top layer and place my pillows orderly so as not to look like I just fell out of bed and walked away. And so when time comes for me to step into bed, it is welcomingly perfect, fluffy and fresh,

Much of my time is spent in the world of storytelling and in some ways creating fantasy. But within the guardrails of the fantasy, I strive to inspire and capture an essence of the fantasy so it can be realized and relatable.

I have been giving much thought to the notion of perfection. We have all played with masks and filters on the version of ourselves and lives we want to portray to the world. The standard of ironing out the wrinkles in all forms has created an illusion that perfection is possible in real life. And with AI taking it a step further, to the point of confusion of what is reality. And it is exhausting.

As so as we have tools to create perfection, whether the written word, the color of the sky, our own beauty, I think it’s important to take the value of these tools, to learn, research and help organize but I think it’s a slippery slope to hand over our voice and creativity. Not only because that steps on illusion but I think it’s a slippery slope for humanity.

My brain used to have the capacity to retain multiple phone numbers, I used to be able to read a map, quite efficiently. But with the introduction of the smart phones, my personal smartness and brain function has been compromised, (although with few street names, I think I would have struggled driving the English countryside lanes, with just a map in hand). And so, while tools are useful, I want to be sure I don’t let my brain, humanness and soul be gobbled up and I become a zombie. In some ways our smart phones have become an extra limb, where panic sets in if we lose it or the battery is dying, for the power it holds to our functioning. Meanwhile our personal batteries are not being charged.

I think authenticity, revealing a little rough around the edges, (not sloppy), sharing our imperfections, whether a freckle or our mishaps, is vital to keep the very essence of soul in our human experience. The illusional benchmark has been set so high that it can be hard not to think we and our lives aren’t ever enough and can make life’s journey lonely. Ironically it is the sharing of imperfection and vulnerability that is relatable to us all and what in the end connects us.

Being a business owner in this digital age, has given cause for me to be knowledgeable around many social media and creative digital platforms. It’s overwhelming for the creator and the user both technically as well as the effort of be mindful to communicate worthwhile information. So while I strive for the purity that imperfection brings, I do think we need to check ourselves, and not dump into the universe unedited, raw junk to fill space, just because the space is there.

While I am a creative visual person, it is the written word that brings me joy, to both read and write. I write first to see how my story unfolds and then layer in imagery to support. For me, that process gives my thoughts freedom to discover the words with intention of what I am wanting to communicate. I always enjoy writing the text of my books more than the captions for the imagery, for this reason.

When I first moved the Los Angeles at 19 I would write postcards and letters, back home to the UK, (my mum kept them all and they are now in my possession). And while not perfect penmanship, the effort of handwriting made for careful selection of each word and each letter is a story unto itself, that contains a personal component which has withstood the test of time. One tends to find more value and keeping notes by hand which are lovely to revisit, and thankfully there wasn’t an option of a delete button. While so much writing has been replaced with the perfection of computer writing, it has come with a price of diluting the flavor that comes with an envelope, a stamp, paper and pen.

Every year, improving my handwriting is on my New Years resolution list. Sadly, I have failed, and my pen man ship is so far from acceptable imperfection and something I intend to work upon. I am inspired when I see this craft, not only for the beauty but understanding when one writes it’s a slower task, one more in keeping with thoughts as they unfold.

So all to say, Imperfection is the perfect true human experience and one to embrace for its unique beauty.