imperfect
Let’s say we create a sketch. It’s really exciting, and then we think, “OK, this is going to make a great oil painting.” And now we spend months working on the painting. Many people find it hard, after putting months into a painting, to look back and say, “You know what? That first five-minute sketch is actually better than the painting. That’s the
... See moreEric Skelton • Creativity, According to Rick Rubin
As basaltic lava cools, it contracts and forms hexagonal columns. While appearing geometrically perfect, slight irregularities in these formations help dissipate stress, preventing fractures from propagating easily.
Damascus steel has impurities added for strength
When people die, it's not their perfect records or squeaky-clean reputation we miss. It's the shit they didn't do well. Their mess. Their weird opinions. The stuff they got wrong and were bad at. The more hopelessly bad or gross or embarrassing, the better. “We love people most when they look stupid.”
Some owl species have uneven ear positions, with one ear higher than the other. This asymmetry allows them to pinpoint the location of prey more precisely by detecting sound differences between their ears.
When musicians make electronic music, they add in imperfections to stop it sounding too mechanical to the human ear. They make one beat or instrument play slightly out of sync with the rest. Perfect metronomic melody is not something the brain likes to listen to. We need imperfection in order to relate to music.
Remember, people are often drawn to things that are done imperfectly. Whether it’s art, movies, or books, people tend to talk more about the flawed things that get stuck in their heads than they do the obvious, perfect things.
As Malcolm Gladwell says, “You want an aftertaste, and that comes from not everything being perfectly blended together.”
As Malcolm Gladwell says, “You want an aftertaste, and that comes from not everything being perfectly blended together.”
The Profile: The parenting guru offering practical solutions & the player re-defining basketball
Architects sometimes design buildings with intentional flaws, such as a “wabi-sabi” approach in Japanese aesthetics. These imperfections make the spaces feel lived-in and welcoming.