Gardening - a lesson in perfection

Today I’m sharing this art journal page from 10 years ago. It sprung from something I wrote in my prayer journal:

“I am slowly learning that life wasn’t created for perfection. Perfection requires 100% precision and control, we would be robots, it wouldn’t be much of a life. What you created is good. There is room for chaos, for change, for adaption, for difference and it is good. As I look at my garden I see beauty in the flowers, I see potential in the fruit, but I also see the weeds which I want to control. In my garden I would like to strive for perfection - a perfectly cut lawn, no weeds and every part in its place, but that isn’t possible, I can’t control my garden to the point of perfection. I can pull up a few weeds now and then, and make it good, but the weeds and the grass will continue to grow. Perfection is unobtainable, God made it and it was good - imperfections and all.” 14 June 16

Many of the pieces I create in my art journal spring from something I’m thinking about or learning. This idea of perfection being unobtainable, as observed in my garden led me to draw the garden. This meant I spent a lot of time looking at it, more than I normally would. As my drawing developed, I accepted my garden for what it was, seeing the beauty over the imperfections, which in turn helped me to accept my imperfections. The time I spent creating the page served to develop and deepen the truth within me, but the finished page also acts a reminder. Much of my art is created for this purpose - to remind myself of an experience or a piece of wisdom. It’s never about the look of the final piece, it’s more about the process that I go through in creating it as well as what it represents. I’d encourage anyone to give it a go, and don’t worry about what it looks like - accept the imperfections!