I call those women superwomen. Superwoman (definition from the Kelseyyourecompletleyinsane dictionary): A girl who has it all — athletic, hot, funny, extremely intelligent, social, stylish, compassionate, likeable, loving, confident, down to earth and has a successful career and a strong family. They’re few and far between and they probably don’t actually exist, but I’m infatuated with them. Think Kelly Ripa or Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook.
So what does this have to do with my weekend? Well as I continue to pursue my writing dreams, I’ve become increasingly more obsessed with perfection. I want to be a superwomen. I really, really do. Is that screwed up or what? I know this a common feminist conversation, so I can’t be completely off my rocker here.
With my wonderful boyfriend out of town for the weekend, I intended to complete my list of goals which included strenuous workouts, ten-hour working and writing sessions, journaling, blogging, cleaning, seeing my sister, running errands and hitting the town with the ladies. Well I completed some of those things. In fact, I completed a lot of them, however a major chunk of my weekend involved drowning myself in alcohol so that I wouldn’t contemplate what my boyfriend could be doing or how many times he’s gotten hit on in San Francisco (he’s awesome, I’m totally a jerk for even worrying about it). Needless to say, much of my to-do list remained unchecked.
Perfection is a horrible goal and I do not recommend it to anyone. But I thought hey, why not let my readers in on how much of a crazy I really am.
Highlight of the weekend: I made dinner for me and my two buddies, Lauri and Rhiannon. I set up the patio with chili pepper lights, two tables covered in retro tablecloths and lots of food and wine. I made an Indian-inspired, red lentil pasta that was overall mediocre, but the ginger peach crumble was delicious. Three bottles of wine later, we headed to a local bar on our bikes. Well, actually they were my bikes, and Rhiannon and Lauri were very wobbly and giggly cyclists.
Weekend list of goals = fail.
Girl night = Success.
Perfection = A lifetime project.
Few notes for your databanks:
ReplyDelete1. Aspiring for perfection can be dangerous...careful!
2. Speaking of perfection, shameless self plug http://drivemouth.bandcamp.com/album/the-imperfectionist I'm not even sorry
3. I don't know what a ginger peach crumble is, but I want one
4. Superwoman was a terrible movie. Just terrible.
"Wobbly and Giggly" Haha!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you describe yourself as a perfectionist, but at the same time Im not surprised because most creative individuals are! I am the same way with the art I create; constantly picking out flaws in my own work... which sometimes does more harm than good. I recently read the positives and negatives to perfectionism(as in a few days ago: describes why i am so intrigued that you wrote this); It is as follows:
Positive: Perfectionists search for ways to make the complex simple, visualize the perfect outcome, and work with an obsessive sense of conviction to make their vision a reality.
Negative: The quest for perfectionism can create chaos, neglect, and imbalance in other areas of your life. It can allow the brain to become too tunnel-visioned and one-dimensional. The planning process can never end and you can get lost easily, resulting in wasted opportunities.
I think perfection is a myth. An artist can never be 100% satisfied with their own work, no matter how anybody else perceives it. Even in the perception of others, can you call it perfect if they don't understand the artist's intent?
ReplyDeleteAnd still I can look at Sistine Chapel and not find a flaw, but I bet my butt that Michelangelo did. Takes a real skill to know just when to stop. Being perfectly entirely unquestionably satisfied and creative is impossible. Which in my opinion just makes art all the more special.
The key, in my opinion, is to just be and do everything to the absolute best of your ability. Give everything your all, and never phone anything in. It's okay to get it wrong when you've given it your all. <>
my take anyway