Imperfect

This is why I appreciate imperfection s much. For a start, it fires the imagination, secindly, it aligns with life because as we all know, imperfection is something that is hardwired into our human experience. 

The Unhelpful Driving Force

There's a driving force in the photographic world to be perfect; to have the latest camera bodies, or own the very best lenses, and to edit with the most brilliant software. And I’m cautious to tell you this but this constant search for the best and latest is counterproductive to genuine creativity. 

Guess what? Humans are Impefect too

It's the same with our humanity.  We are told to be perfect and yet we mess up continually. And then we have to hide the mess from others because they won't accept us as imperfect beings. And we lead lives with a shadow covering our true self. 

Treasures are found in the Imperfect

In this blog I want to look at the whole matter of imperfection in us and in our work because quite frankly,  the real treasures exist in IM-perfection. 

After spending a few decades in photography, you would think I know a few things. Yes, I have picked up many skills, but I have also discovered a secret. The secret is this, being imperfect is essential to genuine creativity. 

Not sloppy or unskilled

By this I don't mean sloppy, I mean getting rid of the notion that perfection has anything to do with being creative and artful; or simply being human. 

Wabi Sabi

The Japanese knew about this.  Their philosophy of Wabi Sabi teaches us to celebrate all that is imperfect in life and nature.  

An old farmstead on the Westcoast Road in the Western Cape, South Africa, provided all we needed for a creative morning. Because it was broken down and deserted, the stories that came from the ruins filled our imaginations and we were able to engage creativity because of the imperfection. 

The term has evolved over the centuries. Wabi means a sense of simplicity and solitude and Sabi the beauty of that comes with age and the sense of impermanence and imperfection. Reflecting this in our photography brings out not only the human but also the brilliance - the inner artist that longs to experiment and produce work that represents our emotions and reactions to life in all its incompleteness. 

And in that light, the search for perfection, the best equipment and the latest editing software fails miserably to satisfy the inner artist.  Not only is it a waste of money, it is linked to pride and one-upmanship that is designed to deflate joy and energy.

The Wabi Sabi Cottage. When we arrived we found it was rough and ready, a single room and without wifi. The imperfect turned out to be just what we needed away from the insanity of city life, 

Embracing imperfection in life and in our photography means that we discover the creative in every circumstance and can express it in ways that bring us a sense of joy and fulfilment.

In a future blog, we will discuss the lives and work of two famous photographers who could only afford second hand cameras and were not able to buy the latest and the best - and yet achieved notoriety.

So our advice to you, be yourself and in that acceptance discover your abundance of inner creativity - using what you have and can afford.

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