Sunday, September 25, 2011

Polish Personals: Reflections on Perfection

Good day Lab Partners.

One of our aims here at The Polish Lab is to generate discussion among our followers on various nail polish topics that go beyond the scope of paint, swatch, and review. It is the interplay of differing perspectives that is our largest experiment. With this aim in mind, I'm asking you to think of perfection as it applies to manicures.

I find it refreshing when I see a photo of a mani in which there's a little smudge here or an errant dot of polish there. I'm not speaking of a mani that was applied with obvious carelessness, but one which--despite the wearers best efforts--fell slightly short of perfection. For me, such imperfections are reminders that I'm looking at the hands of a real human. Someone to whom, like me, life and all its inconveniences and messiness happens. Those imperfections preserve the human connection between me and the owner of those painted tips. I find this connection comforting in some way. Yet I want my own manis to be as close to perfection as possible, failing to see their imperfections in the same endearing light.


What about you, readers? How do you feel about the less-than-perfect mani? Do you demand perfection from every mani--whether yours or someone else's? Or do you find yourself appreciating the human element that reveals itself in flaws, the flaws that let the light get in?

We hope you will choose not only to share your comments and experiences, either here or on our FB page, but also to engage in thoughtful discussion with others who comment. To repeat my earlier statement, it is the interplay of differing perspectives that is our greatest experiment.







16 comments:

  1. I hate when I mess up. Sometimes i'll redo a nail a couple of times before I'm happy enough with it. I think it's because what I see in my head doesn't always look like what I do on my nails. Other times I just deal with it being not perfect & later look at it & really love it.

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  2. Katy--I love your words: "What I see in my head doesn't always look like what I do on my nails." That's so true! And it's true for so many things. When I think about it, that conflict between what I see in my heart and what I see in the world can be a source of most (if not all) of my frustrations! For example, in a relationship--whether it be between partners, friends, siblings, etc--when what's in the heart conflicts with what we see, arguments, hurt feelings and resentments often arise. We have this tendency to want to fix things rather than let them be as they are. Your words: "Other times I just deal with it being not perfect & later look at it & really love it." So true--again both in nails and in the world at large. You've touched on the idea of "letting the light come in," as Cohen says. It seems that if we could back off of our desire to perfect our manis--and our lives--we could see something emerge that's even more beautiful than the vision in our hearts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Katy. As you can see, you've got me thinking more on this idea of perfection!

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  3. I totally agree with you on loving human imperfections. In the nail polish blog world too many people are expecting bloggers nails to be perfect, and some even lash out on other over it. All nails can be beautiful if the girl herself feels beautiful, and when someone put you down about it and they don't even know you, i just call it plain mean! Imperfections are what make people humans. Humans make mistakes everyday, why not on nails?!

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  4. Allison I love that you expanded upon your comments on my earlier post into a more thorough discussion of perfectionism. I completely agree with you about all of this. If we all had to be perfect to enjoy things we like to do, then this would really limit a lot of creativity and fun. That's the spirit of our blog and I love it that readers know what we mean. It took me a long time to accept the Cohen quote's meaning. This is also a concept that's highlighted in zen buddhism, that imperfect things have their own beauty and in some ways can be more touching than perfection. What is perfection but a self-imposed limit? It's so interesting that we can get caught up in somethng that doesn't even have a definition. Love this post!

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  5. And Taylor, it is sad to hear people can be so mean! That sort of thing will not happen here, we promise! Nobody is perfect and that is perfectly fine!

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  6. I find I'm much more forgiving when I do my mani myself versus when I pay for one in a salon. Maybe because I'm expecting perfection from a "professional"-- maybe because I'm paying for it. It is pretty silly that I have a double standard. Hmmm, I'm afraid to extend this into other areas of my life-- LOL!

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  7. Dani, I agree. I think it's fine to expect more from a professional and when you pay for something.

    I hope Allison's post reminded all of us to be a bit less demanding on ourselves in all areas of our lives. Try it & see how the world doesn't stop spinning! It can be liberating.

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  8. Taylor--it blows me away that people can be so nasty! I love what you said: "Imperfections are what make people humans." Makes you wonder what those people who lash out are expecting--that not bloggers are not humans? I wonder whether it has anything to do with the fact that there's this distance imposed by the nature of cyberspace. But that's exactly why I like little flaws. I want to be reminded that there's a real human out there behind those images I'm seeing.

    Ace, yes! Perfection is a self-imposed limit that can limit our creativity and fun. I also saw the connection with Zen Buddhism--the letting imperfections exist as they are and appreciating what they bring to the table. Really, the world would be so dull if everything were perfect!

    Danielle--I think I'm the opposite! I'm much more tolerant of flaws made by others than my own. It's a fear thing, I guess. But I love Ace's reminder that if we can be less demanding on ourselves that the world won't stop spinning.

    Love this discussion!

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  9. This post is awesome! I agree with what everyone is saying...especially what Katy mentioned above...sometimes when I do something on my nails I hate it at first because its not what I had envisioned, but as I keep looking at it throughout the day I start to think wow that looks pretty good!
    I do like seeing little flaws because it makes you feel like your not alone when your own nails have flaws. Thats also the beauty of these blogs...it brings thousands of people together who all love the same thing! Before I found all of these wonderful blogs, I never knew more than about two people that loved nail polish like I do! Hope I didn't change the subject lol!

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  10. Alyssa, you didn't change the subject, and even if you had that'd be awesome, too! We want this discussion to evolve organically. That's what this experiment is all about. Yes--we all love nails, and that's why we're in this big nail community, and when you see flaws it reminds you that we really are all connected. I'm glad you like this post. And I'm so happy to see so many people sharing their thoughts. We weren't sure how people would feel about our having a more discussion-based post from time-to-time, so it's exciting to see people really opening up and sharing their thoughts and reflecting on what others have said. I love topics that make me think--make me reflect on things. I start seeing connections everywhere. That sort of thing gets me all excited! LOL

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  11. I look forward to future discussion posts and topics that make you think!! :)

    P.s. I finally made a google account so hopefully this works! Lol

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  12. Alyssa--yep, google account working! ;)

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  13. I'm very hard on myself. Or, I was, until I starting hanging with the Delightful Duo here!
    I do expect near perfection when I go to a salon. Absolutely! Just like when I get my hair re-blonded! I pay good $$$ for that service! I don't want to see tiger stripes or obvious lines going across (I have bangs).
    But I am much more forgiving of my own mani's now just not the photos I take!!
    But like you said in another post to me Allison, baby steps or small victorys are just as sweet!!
    Namaste' /l\

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  14. bleetch--Baby Steps, grasshopper. Baby steps. Namaste!:)

    And I like being called, "Delightful Duo!" ;)

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  15. I really appreciate that the seasoned nailies can get their manis picture perfect. Also, that the beginners have the chutzpah to show theirs. Sheesh, I'm still just trying to color inside the lines and I have doubts about ever mastering the clean edge clean up. I think it's great having all the effort put into education, swatching, color showcasing, and photography. I can look past imperfections.

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  16. I used to be so anxious when I did my nails because they HAD to be perfect or they drove me nuts. Now I mani isn't complete unless I've nicked or bumped it in some way...and I'm okay with it. Being okay with it makes me feel more free to do them more often, I don't have to hold my breath for the exact right moment. Its just one of those little ways in which I have been able to let go of perfectionism.

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