I feel like this exercise would not come full circle without mentioning the French street artist Ememem. Also known as the “pavement surgeon.” I wish I knew how to attach a photo here. His purpose in life is to locate those missing grey pavement pieces and he tiles in a beautifully colorful custom sized tile mosaic to fix it. (No parentheses needed around the word fix)! I adore the photos of his work. Is it graffiti? I would say absolutely not. Does it make the “flaw” 1,000% better? Absolutely. Please Google him/photos of his work. It absolutely makes my heart sing. He should be an artist in residence, on the public works crew and more widely adored for his work. I’m so smitten. We see flaws; he gets to art.
There is also a person that fills in the flaws with Legos. I have not seen his (or her) work in a long time, but I thought it was cool and have had a "hankering" to buy some Legos from Amazon and get to work in our neighborhood.
The idea of a ”preferred flaw aesthetic” really resonates with me. There is a raw, accidental honesty in imperfections that flawless things simply cannot copy. Seeking them out sounds like a wonderful creative exercise. Thanks for this prompt!
This made me laugh. I had a friend who called me a flaw finder, since I can easily spot changes in patterns.
Back when I was working I encouraged clients to try taking mindfulness walks. Choosing one thing to notice on a walk, particularly if they walk the same route regularly. I found it to be a helpful exercise for staying present in the moment.
The flaw wait converts interruption from frustration into presence in a way most waiting advice only claims to. the difference is you're actually studying something, not just reframing the feeling.
I started reading a book a week or so ago by Telmo Pievani titled 'Imperfection: A Natural History.' The main premise is that imperfections, rather than being an unfortunate outcome of natural processes, actually have driven the evolution of nature, and therefore often turn out to be a good thing. I believe that it is not just important to look around for flaws, but to think about the ways they can be productive elements of the landscapes in which they are embedded.
Oh I do this all the time and it brings me such joy. One of my favorite photos I've ever taken is of a disused metro entrance in Paris. One of the tiles was missing so someone attempted to make their own mosaic replica. While most people are looking up at Notre Dame, I was looking at this little square of missing tile. I adore that photo.
I’ve been doing this for the past few months without realizing. Even the Flaw wait!
I usually get stuck in traffic as well and in an attempt of not losing my mind while waiting for the (apparently) infinite train that blocks my route, I started looking for interesting spots and little flaws around me.
Amazing text to read. Noticing this imperfections and being curious about them instead of thinking “this needs to be fixed” has helped me a lot to accept that things shouldn't be perfect and let go of my need to control everything, especially in such a chaotic world.
Yes, the concept of kintsugi - more beautiful for having been broken -- brings such encouragement to lives that have endured difficulties. It is a great way to uplift those who have faced challenges. I wonder if it would help people to look around and see the flaws that fill up this world -- and therefore to feel less insecure about their own flaws.
I feel like this exercise would not come full circle without mentioning the French street artist Ememem. Also known as the “pavement surgeon.” I wish I knew how to attach a photo here. His purpose in life is to locate those missing grey pavement pieces and he tiles in a beautifully colorful custom sized tile mosaic to fix it. (No parentheses needed around the word fix)! I adore the photos of his work. Is it graffiti? I would say absolutely not. Does it make the “flaw” 1,000% better? Absolutely. Please Google him/photos of his work. It absolutely makes my heart sing. He should be an artist in residence, on the public works crew and more widely adored for his work. I’m so smitten. We see flaws; he gets to art.
His his work is great! I've mentioned but it's been a couple years. His IG: https://www.instagram.com/ememem.flacking/
You might also like Jim Bachor: https://robwalker.substack.com/p/joy-in-a-problem
There is also a person that fills in the flaws with Legos. I have not seen his (or her) work in a long time, but I thought it was cool and have had a "hankering" to buy some Legos from Amazon and get to work in our neighborhood.
I think I've seen, will look into it!
I didn’t know about those artists but they remind of Ben Wilson, the ‘chewing gum guy’ in London, who transforms discarded gum into works of art
https://www.instagram.com/benwilsonchewinggumman?igsh=bnNrMHp3d3Bvdm52
Nice! Thank you!
Oh the awesomeness of flawsomeness! It is so wonderfully present. Thank you for sharing the joy of finding how natural it is.
These need to be collected into a book.
Sally Sellers
The idea of a ”preferred flaw aesthetic” really resonates with me. There is a raw, accidental honesty in imperfections that flawless things simply cannot copy. Seeking them out sounds like a wonderful creative exercise. Thanks for this prompt!
This made me laugh. I had a friend who called me a flaw finder, since I can easily spot changes in patterns.
Back when I was working I encouraged clients to try taking mindfulness walks. Choosing one thing to notice on a walk, particularly if they walk the same route regularly. I found it to be a helpful exercise for staying present in the moment.
The flaw wait converts interruption from frustration into presence in a way most waiting advice only claims to. the difference is you're actually studying something, not just reframing the feeling.
Thanks so much for that, I appreciate it!
I started reading a book a week or so ago by Telmo Pievani titled 'Imperfection: A Natural History.' The main premise is that imperfections, rather than being an unfortunate outcome of natural processes, actually have driven the evolution of nature, and therefore often turn out to be a good thing. I believe that it is not just important to look around for flaws, but to think about the ways they can be productive elements of the landscapes in which they are embedded.
Interesting, thank you!
Love the idea of a flaw walk. I’m going to try that today.
I’ve been trying to be on my phone less around my 3 year old. This will be a fun activity for both of us!
PS: the phrase is “cool your heels”, as in, to sit and rest your feet. ❤️
Fixed that typo, thank you!!
Oh I do this all the time and it brings me such joy. One of my favorite photos I've ever taken is of a disused metro entrance in Paris. One of the tiles was missing so someone attempted to make their own mosaic replica. While most people are looking up at Notre Dame, I was looking at this little square of missing tile. I adore that photo.
Substack stop letting ne post ao many pictures with my drops...thats my flaw walk
I’ve been doing this for the past few months without realizing. Even the Flaw wait!
I usually get stuck in traffic as well and in an attempt of not losing my mind while waiting for the (apparently) infinite train that blocks my route, I started looking for interesting spots and little flaws around me.
Amazing text to read. Noticing this imperfections and being curious about them instead of thinking “this needs to be fixed” has helped me a lot to accept that things shouldn't be perfect and let go of my need to control everything, especially in such a chaotic world.
Wabi sabi- the Japanese expression for celebrating imperfection and kintsugi finding beauty in brokenness .
Yes, the concept of kintsugi - more beautiful for having been broken -- brings such encouragement to lives that have endured difficulties. It is a great way to uplift those who have faced challenges. I wonder if it would help people to look around and see the flaws that fill up this world -- and therefore to feel less insecure about their own flaws.