Here's the thing: Human error

Every Friday I post a “here’s the thing” blog. “Here’s the thing” is something my mum (and many other wise people) like to say when they’re about to make a good point. Hopefully these posts are also good points.

My name is Jenny and I’m a recovering perfectionist.

It’s really, really tough being both creative and leaning towards perfection. You get frustrated at the first hurdle. As soon as you can’t do something, you get frustrated that it doesn’t look how it did in your head.

A tough blow.

When you have perfectionistic tendencies, you gravitate towards doing stuff that satisfies your inner critic. For me, that meant proof-reading and spreadsheets and double-checking everything. I did a LOT of that. In my work in publishing. At notonthehighstreet.com. In my own life. For several years.

I tipped myself out of balance. All that proofing and trying to make it seem like a human didn’t write it – that it was processed as if automated by a computer – all of that was exhausting. It squashed my genuine need to create and be real.

Don’t get me wrong, I still proof stuff, double-check it and work in spreadsheets (where computers check my maths and formulas). I still love that. It’s important to high quality work.

But here’s the thing:

I want human error. I want human contact. We can’t remove it. Or at least, I don’t want to. From the food I eat to the stuff I use every day to the jewellery I love – I want to honour that another human (or group of humans, series of humans) helped to get it to me. Yes, machines can be handy and efficient. But I want humans, too.

So I want human error. If that personalisation in my carefully chosen piece of jewellery is hand-stamped, I want to see the wibbles and wobbles. If the pie from the farmers’ market has a wonky crust, I’m cool with that. If someone has stretched to the end of their limits to create something that’s almost-perfect, I really appreciate that.

That’s the perfectly-imperfect I’m after: it’s real, it’s authentic, it’s sustainable.

Jx

PS If you’re also a recovering perfectionist (or even not quite recovering) and you’re heading into Christmas with a big old worry about it being completely perfect and amazing, take a look at Progress not perfection – my new ecourse that kicks off later this month.