imperfection

"At some point, I’m just of the mind that no art is perfect, and it shouldn’t be perfect. I think it's imperfection.” - Coleman Domingo

 I think imperfection is an interesting thing, it’s something we strive away from yet it makes art relatable because it is a reminder of our humanity. 

I think it can be hard for us as performers, as well as people to allow that imperfection into what we do. Think about it, we work so hard for details and we strive for perfection. We live in a society that is so filtered and one where technology has made it possible to make things perfect, but at what point is it harmful to us as a species?? 

Are we too far in??

At least in my experience, I find we as people (myself included) are often upset when we have human mistakes. Is that helpful?? I feel like it’s good to strive for excellence, but not perfection.

I taught a girl for years and one of the things that made her incredible was her talent in acting, but we worked on managing expectations. We knew she was gonna mess up, it was inevitable, but how do you react to it at the moment? She and I were working on her competition pieces. She was someone who had intense anxiety and she put herself under immense pressure. We worked on how to handle disappointment in the moment. 

When the day came for her to compete she did her normal warm up and prep. She got ready to go compete, she was doing really well, then she missed her words, she instead of freaking out she took a breath and re grounded herself and used the mess up to drive her further into the scene. Instead of freaking out and running from the mess up, she embraced it and she used it. 

Messing up is human, and using what is naturally there in the moment is genius. She ended up getting the highest rating you can get and performing/competing at the international festival. She went on to get a scholarship for her performance in Hamlet. She also played a very misunderstood and heartbroken “Kate Keller” in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. She now is at Pace university for acting. 

See I think it is so important as well as cathartic to embrace your imperfections. Your imperfections are the things that make you human. Especially in acting (in any art), your imperfections are what makes your art relatable. 

It also can be a rewarding experience, I was on a set once and I was having such a hard time getting the depth and weight of this scene as well as the dynamics in the relationship between me and my scene partner. We had to get the shot and move on, so finally (I was incredibly pissed at myself) I took the attention and just focussed on my scene partner and just focussed on him and my lines. 

At that moment I had given up and just decided that I would just have to be a bad actor in that scene. I had accepted my humanity and gotten out of my own way. (we are all seeing where this is going right?? …… good) We finished the scene and I was shocked at how well it went. I was so present and in the moment. (like duh fucking obviously)

See I stopped trying to make something perfect or flawless. I got out of my own way, trusted the work I had, and made sure I was grounded. That is the entire point, see when we stop focussing on flawless work and get out of our own way we are able to do actual relatable work. We are able to make contact and be vulnerable and actually connect with the environment, the other people in the scene, and my own reactions to things. See, getting out of your own way actually gives you more time to think in the circumstances. 

People aren’t perfect, we are flawed, emotional, and messy.

 Perfection is overrated.