Excellent or Perfect?

This photo was taken in a small town in the highlands of Guatemala. I didn't have to do a thing but point and shoot. The bowl existed in a small area between an artist's studio/gallery and his living area. I looked out of a window in the gallery and there was the bowl in such beautiful light. It made me think of an instructor I had who would talk about painting and process.

One of the things he used to stress was that it was excellence we were after in our work, not perfection. Excellence is obtained by making and learning from mistakes, like life. So it is only by jumping in and making the effort that we will find out where our excellence exists. Those in his classes learned to never be afraid of making mistakes during the struggles of creating. What a great gift that was.

I will forever be greatful to that teacher for giving me the freedom and the wisdom to not hang on to the pain of expansion and to look for the answers, the indications towards excellence mistakes provide.