Gardening, Weaving and Perfection

[helwen]

I planted the potatoes today and fitzw worked more on one of the driveway beds.

I did some weaving yesterday and more today. Things are moving along, although even now I have times when it seems like I can't weave worth a darn. Mostly, I can get a good rhythm, the edges are looking decent, etc. Then there are the times I lose track of what I'm doing and interesting things occur. On average I'm weaving 15" per hour, which I think is pretty good. With steady practice I'm sure it will pick up a bit more. In the meantime, I'm getting pretty good at spotting where I am in the pattern when I've lost my place. When I don't notice in time, I've gotten better at backtracking to where I went astray.

I've joked in the past with students that mastery in the arts is not when you can create masterpieces like the famous artists in history, but when you've learned to correct/cover up your mistakes. Of course a cover up in this case is things like covering a blot with a flower, scraping a wrong letter in the calligraphy, etc. Some things can't be repaired and you have to start over -- life is like that.

Making mistakes is part and parcel of being human. Every artist strives to do the best he or she can do, but sometimes things just don't work out. Mastery is attained in how you choose to deal with human error, and material and equipment failures. Creativity and adaptability are key. So are humility and honesty. Those last two are important in realizing that if you overreach yourself, you're likely to be frustrated quite often, and that it's okay to acknowledge human/personal limitations. Also a lot less stressful... which is not to say that I don't push myself to try to improve or to learn new things, but you can't keep doing things if you break yourself on a project.

In many traditions, perfection is _not_ sought. I don't remember if it's the Quakers or the Amish, but there's a tradition in quilting called the 'humility block'. This is a block that was included in a quilt that was deliberately mismatched to the rest of the quilt. The Japanese also have a tradition of introducing a small imperfection into a piece, and I'm sure there are other cultures with similar things. In these ways of thinking, perfection belongs to the Creator/God/Goddess. Personally, I have never worried about including a mistake on purpose... there's always at least one mistake in anything I've ever made :D

My junior high art teacher told me that sometimes you have to know when to stop and walk away from a piece, so that you didn't overwork it. That was a tough lesson, because I hated to stop working until I could understand the process. But I tried it anyway (she was a good teacher), and sometimes I'd come back to the piece and decide it was done, and other times I could see what I couldn't see before, and finish it. Rarely, I decided it wasn't worth working over and that I had to start over.

The garden this year has definitely been one of our more challenging projects, between limitations of amount of land, soil type, time available, physical capabilities, and of course the weather. I've planned and re-planned several times, accommodating to things beyond my or L's control. It isn't the garden I originally planned, and this early on I can't be sure of how much it will produce, but we'll do our best to help things along, and accept what we're given, both in food and learning experiences. And leave perfection to someone else.

Comments

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I don't remember if it's the Quakers or the Amish, but there's a tradition in quilting called the 'humility block'.

It's more of a generic quilt thing for the piecing - but Amish quilts do sometimes have a deliberate mistake in the stitching itself. Pieced quilts sometimes have a mistake in one or two blocks (especially Sawtooth or Feathered Star quilts). "Only God can make perfection," is the belief.

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

Wise comments. :) You've always had a good head on your shoulders lass.

You're doing very well. Very well indeed. Here's to an endlessly fascinating life, with all its little quirks and delights. ;)

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! A fine toast!