grace, not perfection.

This past year has been tough. My family has been reminded that life is precious and we never know what ups and downs might come our way. As heartbreaking and scary as the downs have been and as unsettling as the road ahead may seem, I try to be grateful for all it has put into perspective for me. I love the mantra of “Grace, not perfection”. I have not always been good at offering grace, yet so many people in my life have been so kind to give it to me. I think I’m learning that it’s easier to give grace to others once we offer it to ourselves first.

As a lifelong perfectionist, it’s especially difficult to put myself and my paintings out into the world unless I think they are “perfect”. This says so much more about me than anything. Brene Brown offers so many amazing insights to the concept of perfectionism (…there are literally too many wonderfully appropriate quotes to include here, but this is one that really struck me):

“When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make.”

My goal is to just show up and be authentic, be grateful for my gifts, embrace life as it comes my way and offer myself grace for all of my imperfections so that I can do my best to offer it to others. I hope this inspires you to do the same.