(noun) - a fault, blemish, or undesirable feature; the state of being faulty or incomplete
Now, I know what you're thinking..."yuck, imperfection?!? No thanks!"
Ahhhh. I see you. And yet...
What would happen if you allowed yourself to make space for imperfection in your life? Would it open up space for something else to exist/thrive?
Let me walk you through ways I make space for - and often celebrate - imperfection.
In the image below you'll see a brownish/mustard armchair. (If you've been here the last few days, it's just on the other side of the "bedroom" in the "living room"...) It's of the vintage variety and is rather comfortable if I do say so myself. However, it came to me as an imperfect object. Actually, it came to me as a non-functioning chair. Let's see how making space for imperfection let me acquire one of my favorite, and most used, chairs...
I first saw this chair in an old co-working space storage unit. It was part of a myriad of items that were tagged for the dumpster. It had one very ornate, victorian wooden legs missing and was incredibly dusty after years of banishment. Maybe it's the caretaker in me or my fierce belief that I can re-use every.broken.thing. but I took one look at it and said "I'll take it!".
When I got it home I examined the legs again. They were very detailed and unless I wanted to spend time, energy, and money, I would not be reconstructing them anytime soon. Even though I had a hunch the chair would be imperfectly perfect for my studio space and lifestyle, I wasn't absolutely sure so I decided to experiment with it.
I looked around my apartment to see what could be used to prop the seat level, assuming that I would have to shimmy something underneath to get the correct height. Miracle upon miracles, the wood crates I had stacked as my bookshelf along with the existing wooden peg leg connection on the chair made for a very level, very sturdy, and very comfortable seat!
Would it have been the end of the world if I had passed on the chair? No. I would have found something at some point. But I adore that by making space for imperfection I gave this piece second life, freed up my brain to focus on other things, and - bonus - created a unique wood-crate-bookshelf-chair piece!
Now, let's talk about some intangible moments as well. Like just this week, in fact!
I've been posting the landing page for this email engagement in a few different communities of mine. I have to admit, sharing my thoughts and ideas is not super comfortable for me and each time I hit send I tend to run around the apartment to release the nervous energy I feel. I promised myself when I first had the idea for the 12 Days that I would view it as an experiment...I knew I would fumble and mis-step and mess up. I'm not super tech-savvy and I moved pretty quickly from idea to implementation on this digital-heavy offering. The chance for imperfection was high.
Yesterday morning I received a gentle and helpful nudge that I had a typo in my copy. And honestly, it was a pretty glaring typo, one I should have noticed. Directly on the heels of that I realized that I had set up my email opt-in incorrectly and it was causing issues. I had to laugh in that very moment as I knew Day 3 was about to focus on Imperfection - and here I was, demonstrating it beautifully!
For many years, I've been afraid of the imperfect side of sharing ideas - the typos or missteps, unintentionally causing harm, or simply not being able to aptly communicate my thoughts. It isn't the only thing that stops me from taking action but it certainly contributes. I'm so grateful that the imperfection gremlin has quieted enough to allow me to test, experiment, and offer what I can to the world. Typos and mistakes included!
What would you create, share, or make space for if imperfection had a cozy home in your day-to-day?
One last bit on imperfection before we end...embracing imperfection in others.
Have you ever found yourself critical of someone else because they did not do something the way you thought it should be done, the "perfect" way? It could be a partner, a boss or colleague, a random person you encounter in your day, or even a business interaction. The fact that they mess up or drop the ball annoys you, if only they did x-y-z!
I personally bump up against this all the time and I'm guessing I'm not alone. It always takes me a minute to realize that the level of perfection I am holding them to is the level of perfection I'm holding for myself. Meaning, if I'm not giving them grace in a moment of imperfection, I'm certainly not giving myself grace in those moments either. And we could certainly all use a bit more grace.
This shifted my relationship to imperfection and while it is a continuous, imperfect practice for me (see how that works?!?), it has helped release a fair amount of agitation in my day-to-day...which frees up so much space!
How would your engagement with the world around you change if you embraced imperfection in yourself and others?
JOURNAL PROMPTS
What comes up when you think about imperfection? Is there negative or positive connotation?
How does imperfection look/feel/sound in your life right now?
Where do you feel you can invite imperfection in, even if just a little bit?
When do you tend to strive for perfection the most? And what would happen if you gave yourself permission to be imperfect in that moment?
In what ways, physical and intangible, can you make space for imperfection in your life? (Do not throw this computer! It's a gentle nudge to observe and see what comes up...:)
This wraps Day 3...thank you for taking time to explore spacemaking from a place of imperfection!
If you feel inspired to share any takeaways, examples in your own home, or questions that came up for you, please access any Spatial Medium social media account. Please be sure to add #12daysofspacemaking and tag @spatialmedium so I can see what you post.