U is for Ugly
Have you ever created something ugly?
I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately. I haven't been able to spend much time at the bead table and it shows: I don't like much of what I'm creating now. I've also been captivated by some new techniques, so my mistakes and "ugliness" seem even more apparent. (Tomorrow I'll show you an example!) It's especially frustrating because all day long I'm surround by other people's perfect projects.
The truth is, everyone makes something ugly at one time or another. (And writers, don't think you're off the hook—how do those first drafts look? Ugly or beautiful?) In magazines, blogs, and books, we almost always see only the beautiful, finished piece, not the twenty "not-quite-ready" prototypes. As a result, we think that everyone else just sits down and whips out one perfect piece after another without one misstep or "what was I thinking?" project. It's not true.
Ugly on Purpose
I'm fascinated by Kim Werker's Mighty Ugly website. You might know Kim from her work on Crochet Me
or dozens of other creative projects. She writes about how this
pressure to create beautiful items leads some people to declare that
they're not creative or not good at making things. Or they might get
scared to try new techniques and just stick to the "safe" ones that they
know. She challenges everyone to try and make something deliberately
ugly and share photos on her Flickr site.
A Challenge
Kim's right. One way to combat this insecurity is a head-on approach: make something deliberately ugly. As ugly as you possibly can. If you're a jewelry designer, pull out those colors you know don't go together. If you're a writer, write the most turgid prose you can. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It's not only surprisingly challenging—but it's potentially freeing. If you've already made the worst thing ever, you don't have to worry about failure. There is no possible way for you to do something "wrong."
Not convinced?
- Jewelry designers: Try the Ugly Necklace Contest. You could win a nearly $1,000 shopping spree! How's that for motivation?
- Writers: What about the Bulwer-Lytton Contest, that annual contest for the worst opening sentence ever?