At the risk of over-sharing, can I be a real with you today?
Do you ever catch yourself doing that thing where you make something, or try something or put something out there, and there's this little inside voice judging and comparing? And so you worry, and you try make it perfect, and you second-guess, and eventually you just... don't take the action?
I do, and I think most of us do this in one form or another. Somewhere along the way, we learned that imperfection is something to avoid. Something to fix. Something to be a little bit ashamed of. Flaws became the enemy - the thing standing between us and being worthy, or good enough, or lovable, or whatever it is that matters to us.
But here's the tea...it's bloody exhausting! ๐ AND what's worse is that I don't think it actually makes the work better. If I'm being honest, I think it mostly just stops the work from existing at all.๐ซค Which can be a problem when you're working on building an intentional business and life.
As I am sure you are aware I've had this quiet obsession with Japanese craft and philosophy for years now (and gods know I've got some years under my belt! ๐), and I don't think it fully clicked WHY until recently: It's the way they hold imperfection. Not tolerate it - hold it.
Techniques like Kintsugi, where broken pottery gets mended with gold, and the crack becomes the most beautiful part. The concept of Wabi-sabi, a whole aesthetic & philosophy built around the beauty of things that are aged, weathered, asymmetrical, worn. Wood that's been softened by time. Ceramics that show wear and stains from years of use. The mark of the maker's hand left visible, not sanded away.
It's not ruined or used or "good enough." It's a completely different relationship with what makes something worthy of care and attention.
It's kinda the OPPOSITE of what I absorbed growing up and working in agency as a young designer. This idea that the flaws are the villain. That the goal is to erase the evidence of difficulty, of being human, of working at it, of ageing, of ever having struggled.
Here's the 'properly' personal bit (not just 'newsletter-personal'๐คฃ): I don't think it's ever really been about the aesthetics for me. I think I am drawn to this philosophy because I have been through some things in my life that have sometimes made me feel, well...a little broken. Not in a dramatic way (Dramatic? Moi?! ๐) - just in that quiet way that a lot of us carry. Bits of me that feel a little scuffed. Bits I've worked on, but maybe still feel like I need to hide or fix or apologise for. That feels like a strange thing to type out and send, but there it is.
So when a whole tradition comes along and says the crack isn't the flaw, the crack is where the gold goes - I'll be honest, that's not just a nice bit of design philosophy to me. It's genuinely one of the more comforting things I've come across. Maybe the bits I've spent so long trying to sand down don't need to be erased. Maybe they ADD to who I am.
I don't have a tidy takeaway for you today, except to encourage you to wear the thing, post the thing, say the thing! Just as a small practice in believing. I also just wanted to sit with this out loud, in case any of it resonates.๐ค
ANYWAY...back to our regular programming. ๐
Reel easy
For this week's tutorial I'm bringing you three trends I've seen absolutely everywhere the past couple of weeks - all built entirely in Canva, and all doable in a matter of minutes.
We're covering the split screen effect, the fast cut edit , and the yin-yang format, three of the simplest but most visually effective reels I've tried in a while. (btw, I have no idea if there are actually names for these trends, this is just what I am calling them ๐)
And if you stick around to the end, there's a bonus post trend too - possibly the easiest one I've ever come across ๐คฃ, and honestly a really good reminder that simple still wins. Soooooo...
Grab your coffee and watch the full tutorial hereโ
Meaningful Creations
I also thought I would give you a final reminder that there is just one week left before Teachery retires it's $550 Lifetime Deal price on August 15.
I don't often promote other people's products, but I really am a big fan of Teachery, and I get a lot of joy from supporting small businesses (run by good people, who really care) as they take on the corporate giants.๐ So...if you're planning on launching a course, or selling a digital product, or starting a community of like-minded people - check out Teachery before August 15.
Join now and youโll get Teachery today, plus the upcoming Teachery 4.0 with communities, memberships, better customization, upsells and post-purchase orders, an optional AI assistant, and more. Pay once, with no monthly or annual subscription required.
In fact (if you haven't seen it yet) you may enjoy a sneak peek of just some of the incredible updates coming to Teachery soon.
That's it from me...thank you (as always) for being here, and if this newsletter resonated with you at all please hit reply and let me know - I really do read every single reply myself! ๐ค
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