Last January we did a whole month on The Creative Act by Rick Rubin and, yet, we felt we barely scratched the surface of this provocative book. So we thought it would be fun to revisit a quote, riffing on how it applies to our lives right now.
The quote we chose is: “When the work has five mistakes, it’s not yet completed. When it has eight mistakes, it might be.”
There is a Buddhist expression: “Everything is perfect as it is,” mistakes and all. The Japanese call it “Wabi-sabi” or “perfection in the imperfect.” We feel that mistakes are something to be celebrated - an important part of our work, not an excuse for self-flagellation. Mistakes mean we are growing as artists, taking risks and working outside the box.
Where precision is not essential, mistakes may actually make our work better.
What do you think? Do mistakes have a place in your work? Is wabi-sabi a concept you could see yourself adopting? How have mistakes improved your craft?
Thank you for watching today! We hope you enjoyed this pop-up edition of Slow Reads.
A bientôt! (See you soon!)
Katherine and Manon
