We’ve all been there, whether you are an artist or not… You’re in the middle of a project and you feel inspired, creative, and full of energy and life and then without notice, poof! It’s gone. Your motivation, inspiration and drive are shattered by a mistake; a blunder; a mess. But wait! Don’t despair! Times like these can be the greatest moments of your life.

Don’t fix it! Mistakes can be a magnum opus. Sure you feel like you have to start over sometimes. Just take a look at artists like Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt, who all painted over their own work. But as we see when x-rays bombard these famous artists’ paintings, those mistakes are now being called masterpieces. So before you quickly cover your tracks take a moment to breath and see if that’s truly what you want to do. It is a painstaking process revealing layers upon layers of hidden works of art. So save us the trouble of x-ray vision and start fresh, leaving your work to evolve into what it was meant to be.

I know that dealing with creative frustration can be maddening. I often find myself performing various rituals to inspire the muse within me. I’ll light some incense, play some Dead Can Dance and flip through countless books just to try and stir the pot. But that doesn’t always work. Sometimes I need something stronger, something more powerful…

I need mistakes.

Life’s imperfections are inspirational and can make our art truly unique. I’ve often found myself on paths I never would have taken with my art thanks to the slip of a brush and the bump of my canvas. I habitually thank my son for in-house projectiles and sudden screams of joy, because of the masterpieces that are inspired shortly after. Thanks to the lighthearted view I take with my art and writing, I can truly embrace my shortcomings – and so can you. It’s a lot easier than you think.

We are not perfect beings and the perfect creators of our masterpieces. The world around us bumps and prods us into our perfect ends with absolute and unexpected accuracy. The trick is to move and sway with the world and see where it will take us. When the perfectionist is extinguished, the true creative genius is ignited. Let those little nudges guide you to a more free-flowing style or in a brand new direction. Brush off your mistakes and laugh at yourself. What you think is a blunder could in fact lead you into a field of freshly mowed motivation.

If you can do this, then you can see that imperfection is perfectly wonderful.

What was your best mistake?

Remember: grow; learn; conserve; preserve; create; question; educate; change; and free your mind.

About: Kelli Klymenko is an artist, a faculty member and the Marketing & Events Coordinator at Sedona Arts Center: a gathering place where artists can learn, teach, and exhibit their works at the center’s School of the Arts and Fine Art Gallery in uptown Sedona.