Authenticity vs Perfection
Something interesting happened one day and it got me thinking about authenticity and perfection.
A friend came over for dinner and he poked his head into my studio. I had just rearranged it for about the umpteenth time as I tried to make the most of my small space. In the process of organizing I stuck this painting on a bulletin board.
My friend was instantly drawn to this little Ellie. Honestly, I had debated throwing it away - it was a piece that I had done at about 4:00 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep … there was no thought put into it, just quick brush strokes on a piece of scrap paper. I was ‘sleep painting’’ and wasn’t fully conscious as I put paint on paper.
After our friend left I was looking at the painting and realized how loose and free it was - something that I strive for (often without success) when I’m painting in a fully conscious state. On a lark, I posted this painting in a FB artist group and the resulting responses were completely unexpected - everyone loved it!
Is this little Ellie painting ‘perfect’? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But what it does have is authenticity. There’s no pretense of perfection, just genuine emotion.
So how does this translate into everyday life and why is authenticity important? Our soul longs to break free from the pressure to achieve perfection and instead to rejoice in who we really are, even on our ‘hot mess’ days. And when we’re authentic, we’re giving others the permission to break free from their own self imposed perfection and instead to enjoy life! Authenticity is something that’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it, rather you FEEL it! You can feel authenticity in a piece of artwork (one reason AI generated ‘art’ will never replace original work), you can feel it when you’re with someone who sings and dances with wild abandon, you can feel it when a friend cooks you a meal from their heart. Most of all you can feel it when there’s an absolute lack of perfection.
I believe that’s one of the reasons we cherish our precious pups so much, they live each and every moment with complete and total authenticity. There’s no pretense, when they’re excited their whole body wiggles - imagine if we could let loose and enjoy life with such gusto!
Living a creative life requires the courage to be authentic. It requires shutting out all the ‘noise’ from the outside - what the media tells you to buy in order to have the perfect life, or social media tells you to do in order to be popular. Forgoing hours spent on social media in order to create the perfect home, wear the perfect clothes, paint the perfect painting or cook the perfect meal. In order to be authentic, you must go within, and really listen to that little voice that whispers to you. What really makes your heart sing? What brings you joy? Who do you want to be? And you must have courage to be who you are, to embrace ALL your glorious imperfections in favor of authenticity!
So, ask yourself, what would you do today if you didn’t have to worry about perfection or what others might think? Would you try cooking without a recipe and instead rely on your senses and intuition to guide you? Would you dance around the house listening to your favorite tunes? Would you pick up a brush and splash some paint on paper? Would you run around the yard with your dog until you’re breathless and plop down on the grass watching the clouds roll by? Would you go to the beach and enjoy running into the waves? What would bring you joy today? Do that - and do it with authenticity with no regard to the outcome or what others might think!
Blessings,
Melissa