Earlier this summer I spent an hour or so wandering through a gallery specializing in Navajo rugs. Actually, it was even more specialized that that. The collector, a curious guy named Jamie Ross, liked to collect Navajo rugs with English words, letters, or language woven into the designs.
I was intrigued by some of the designs so I asked him about the history of some of the pieces. Jamie is the kind of guy who turns a quick ten second question into a slow ten minute answer. That was fine by me, I had nowhere else to be.
He explained a lot of things. He talked about his fascination with letters and words and why he especially liked them when they showed up on Navajo rugs. He also talked a bit about crazy quilts, another one of his obsessions.
But there was one thing he said that really stuck with me. I asked him why a lot of the rugs seemed to have mistakes woven into the patterns. Obvious distortions in the patterns, stray lines, or a shape that was just a bit off compared to the other shapes in the piece.
He said there are many explanations. One popular one is that the Navajo intentionally weave mistakes into their rugs to remind them that man isn’t perfect. That sensibility can also be found in the Wabi-sabi art of Japan.
But he preferred another explanation. He said the mistakes weren’t intentional. What was intentional was the desire not to go back and fix them.
He said the Navajo saw mistakes as moments in time. And since you can’t change time, why try to change a mistake that already happened? The mistake is already woven into the fabric of time. It’s good to be reminded of it when you look back.
Further, he compared it to climbing a mountain. If you climb a mountain you are sure to have a few missteps along the way. But you keep going. You don’t stop and start over if you trip here or take the wrong path there. You keep going. You can’t remove that step. It happened, it’s part of the climb. And when the climb is done, you’ve finished. As long as you made it to the top, you don’t call the climb a mistake. Likewise, the Navajo don’t call a rug with some off stiches a mistake. If the rug is finished, it’s a successful rug. More importantly, a rug with a few off stitches is an honest rug.
Now, I don’t know if this is Jamie’s own personal intrepretation, or something other’s Navajo scholars (or Navajo themselves) can back up, but it doesn’t matter to me. I love the idea regardless.
Here are a few rugs from his collection:
Jason Fried wrote this on Dec 01 2012 There are 23 comments.
Alexis Tryon 01 Dec 12
I love this idea – dwelling on mistakes never gets you anywhere. But having the confidence to acknowledge a mistake and keep going forward is empowering.
Reminds me of Bob Ross – “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.”
Fred 01 Dec 12
Good stuff.
GeeIWonder 01 Dec 12
It’s also a nice visualization of how we evolve (and get better, or perhaps worse) over time. Not unlike the old ruler on the wall.
Jan 01 Dec 12
So I take it that the mistake in this sentence was intentional? Or well, it happened, so you don’t bother to correct it, right?? ;-)
“Actually, it was even more specialized that that.”
Alastair 01 Dec 12
Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed that insight.
Darcy Fitzpatrick 01 Dec 12
This is lovely insofar as our personal efforts are concerned, but when it comes to any efforts intended for public scrutiny or consumption, fixing mistakes is crucial.
Natalie 02 Dec 12
This is lovely :).
Diane 02 Dec 12
I like this. I need it in my personal life, and I think I will also use it in my piano teaching.
Jan Korbel 02 Dec 12
If must not be understanding the meaning behind the sort of hippie-dippie cover. Is it that you should accept the mistakes you make and not try to fix them?!
I fail to see any sense in that. Why is it good to be remined that you’ve made a mistake you could have fix, but you decided not to?
What a bunch of hippie bullcrap. So Navajo people did not have/feel a need to fix their mistaken patterns in rugs. Maybe because they did it only for their own use, so why bother being perfect. Than tourists started to buy it and asked about the flaws. And you can’t tell a customer “Hey, I was lazy. It works the same. Buy it.”, no, you come up with this sort of philosophish sounding explanation.
Just stop and think, how else you can call “intentional desire not to fix mistakes”?
Being an asshole for example?
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GeeIWonder 02 Dec 12
@Jan
You’re misunderstanding the purpose of the rugs, and indeed the mistakes within them. Why make these rugs at all?
The point is that it doesn’t work the same, because it’s not trying to do what you think it is. It’s not something to walk on or to keep you warm, it’s something to put into context who you are and where you’ve been.
Goetz 02 Dec 12
There are not mistakes, there’s only feedback.
David Andersen 03 Dec 12
Unless we’re talking O-rings on the space shuttle.
Lyn Midnight 03 Dec 12
This is brilliant. It also makes sense in the case of perfectionists. See, a perfectionist would go back and take every step twice or three times, just to be sure they did it right, which will surely slow down the climb. It’s a sobering thought for me. I really have to learn to breathe and keep going, no re-doing, just doing. :)
Toddy Miltdown 03 Dec 12
Another one of those ‘he’s rich therefore, whatever comes out of his mouth is worthy of our attention posts. Please take this attitude into your next aortic repair operation.
Casey Lockwood 03 Dec 12
This is a great post. Thought provoking, definitely ruffled a few feathers, spot on.
Overall, I completely agree. One area that I think is often overlooked, however, is that mistakes can only be embraced within the context of a product/service that is overall quite remarkable. Context is everything.
Perfection is sometimes necessary. 37 Signals, for example, won’t hire anyone with a mistake on their resume’. Period. But I don’t think that this metaphor is designed to apply to every instance.
There is something truly human about imperfection. There is a dichotomy between perfection and progress. Sometimes, the opportunity costs are grave if all of your time is spent trying to make what’s already happened, or what’s already shipped perfect. It’s a distraction from what lies ahead.
This is one of my favorite examples of a team embracing mistakes: http://www.7×7.com:8080/eat-drink/yelp-tee-almost-more-brilliant-pizzeria-delfinas-pizza-0
Who knows if the pizza is any good, but I’m going to at least try it.
Some people will find this post (or Jason’s entire concept) ridiculous, or reckless, I find it refreshing. Perfection is boring. It sounds lip-synched, feels sterile, and has no opinion.
If, overall, you can focus on delivering what you know to be really good, then imperfection is welcomed. If, on the other hand, the rug is littered with mistakes, then the rug just looks messy.
Tom Loverro 03 Dec 12
This reminds me of a lesson I learned in a Mandarin calligraphy class. Chinese calligraphy has a similar concept that values imperfection and asymmetry. When writing characters in Chinese you are supposed to keep them asymmetrical so the characters look organic and have some motion and especially balance to them. A good calligrapher makes the characters beautiful by imparting in them a look and feel that is truly lifelike and organic; the way to do that is by avoiding the sort of perfection you would not find in nature.
Ben 04 Dec 12
I take it that the grammatical error ‘specialized that that.’ is there for intentional purposes to support the post topic.
Mike D 04 Dec 12
Wow, this Jamie guy is a real rainmaker! Killer sales pitch he has put together :).
Great article and story. Thought provoking… and obviusly can be interpreted in different ways.
CJagers 04 Dec 12
Thanks Jason. It is ironic how “imperfection” can sometimes be an enhancement. For instance in communication, I like how your screencasts are conversational. Seeing someone’s consciousness at work helps viewers connect with the video and pay attention. If it were too perfect, it would come across as a sales pitch and people would tune it out. Instead, the occasional pause, changing mid-sentence, “um,” etc … all serve to humanize the communication and establish a connection.
Of course, this kind of thing is only helpful within a context that is otherwise disciplined.
Steven Walker 04 Dec 12
Short, thoughtful and insightful post. Something that will stay with people. Also, easy to read with the new design. Loving this new experience.
Gregt 04 Dec 12
+1 Jan Korbel.
Good advice for people making art, maybe, but for any real-world jobs … as if.
Kevin Steffey 08 Dec 12
Well written and thought provoking. Nobody is perfect. What good does it do to try to appear like you are. What is more important is how you learn from it moving forward.
This discussion is closed.