Perfection?

What is perfection, anyway? The dictionary defines it as the quality of being free from all flaws or defects. The trouble with perfection is that it is unattainable. While it may be possible to get a perfect score on a spelling test, the work of our hands invariably falls short of our expectations. And in trying to reach that impossible goal of perfection, we sometimes become paralyzed, unable to do anything at all.

I will readily admit that I suffer from that malady called perfectionism. I must always be the one to paint the trim in a room, for example, because it must be just so. I want my lines to be crisp and clean, and anything less bothers me terribly. I must be the one to install the bathroom tile, because each tile must be aligned properly and evenly spaced. And yet, it still isn't perfect.

One of my favorite painters is Salvador Dali. The Spanish artist known for his melting clocks and signature mustache was a creative genius with an eccentric personality. His paintings are absolutely stunning, with colors that sparkle and subjects that require serious thought. He painted so much more than melting clocks! Perhaps one of the reasons his body of work is so immense is that he wasn't crippled by perfectionism.

My attempts at keeping a sketchbook in the past have always been sidelined by that feeling of dismay when a drawing didn't turn out to my liking. But this time, I am trying to overcome that hang-up. If it's not perfect, so what? I will resist the temptation to tear out the offending sheet of paper, and keep it for the record. And so, as a reminder to myself to give up the ridiculous expectation that everything I do must be perfect, I have written Dali's quote in my art journal:

Have no fear of perfection -- you'll never reach it.

Hopefully, his words will encourage me to press on, even when I am discouraged by my failures. I may not be as prolific in my painting as Salvador Dali, but I will try to create more art than I have in the past -- even if it's not perfect.