Thursday 29 January 2015

Freebie: The Route to Imperfection

I took days to figure out what to write about. I wanted it to be perfect. Flawless. It'd be a staggering feat - one that can take this from teetering on the brink of mere steady progress to its breakout success. 

By the end of the week, stacks of drafts had filled my desk, and I haven't come to a resolution. It's just not perfect, I thought. Perfection. We'll be damned if we can't figure out its magic formula. 

I had sprawled out my brushes to hand letter various pieces over and over, only to make more mistakes, and setting me back in a fray. And after more unsuccessful attempts to create an impeccable piece, I reluctantly accepted the hard truth - perfection was clearly insurmountable. 

The reason to why the formula to perfection is so 'magical' is because it doesn't exist. We strive so hard for something that's clearly unattainable. I'd set out to create perfection, cracking my head before realising the only way to be perfect is to be imperfect. And the only way to be imperfect is, quite frankly, to be fearlessly authentic

After much thought, I made a wallpaper for myself that I'd like to share to remind all of us not to be afraid to just be ourselves. It's the yellow brick road to flawless imperfection. 


download in three colours

Version 1 // Baby Blue
Phone (Android/iPhone) 1080 x 1920
Laptop 2880 x 1800
Desktop 2560 x 1600 / 1280 x 1024

Version 2 // Navy
Phone (Android/iPhone) 1080 x 1920
Laptop 2880 x 1800
Desktop 2560 x 1600 / 1280 x 1024

Version 3 // Black
Phone (Android/iPhone) 1080 x 1920
Laptop 2880 x 1800
Desktop 2560 x 1600 / 1280 x 1024

Everyone is seemingly, shamelessly, attempting to appear perfect, especially in this digital era. In social media or even being around others - we swallow our sour concoction of pain, weakness and fear, peddled on the promise of appearing just completely defectless to the universe. However, it is these flaws that makes us unique. 

Authenticity is a human attribute. To be authentic is to accept our little flaws. Simon Sinek, a trained and inspiring ethnographer, mentions: 

"Great leaders are not the strongest, they are the ones who are honest about their weaknesses. Great leaders are not the smartest; they are the ones who admit how much they don't know. Great leaders can't do everything; they are the ones who look to others to help them. Great leaders don't see themselves as great; they see themselves as human.  
Great leaders don't try to be perfect, they try to be themselves. And that's what makes them great." 

I profess I'm not the best at creating lettering work, and regardless of any blows and criticisms, it's the best way to learn and try. People connect with humanness, authenticity, imperfection, and transparency. It's time we gather some courage to be authentic and show our imperfections. 

Until next time ♥  

Imperfect lettering by me 

Wallpapers created by Dian from The Happy Candle. For personal use only. Not for distribution or resale. Please link back to original post if shared. Thank you.

Check out more freebies here

23 comments

  1. Wow, D. This might just help me in finding a good ending for the story I'm working on. I always wanted it to be perfect, but now you've shown me another way. Thanks a lot, sis. :)

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    1. Happy to help. Looking forward to your story. :)

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  2. Wow this is perfect please add a sign or dropmark to the wallpapers because they're really beautiful and you should let people know you made it everytime they see it..
    You made the whole thing flowers as well,right?
    You're really smart :)

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    1. Yes, I illustrated the flowers too. Well, it isn't really perfect, perfection doesn't exist, haha. Thank you, I'll think about adding a little signature to them the next time. :)

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    2. Yes ! I agree with Neal Kind. You should add some sort of watermark on the previews. :)

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  3. Ahhh this is so awesome! Love these wallpapers; totally gonna use 'em! :D

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  4. IT'S OKAY DIAN YOUR LETTERING LOOKS LIKE PERFECTION TO ME (MashaAllah xD)
    I love the border work you've done. I'm going to download the iPhone wallpaper of the baby blue version (there's something about that color that makes the whole thing stand out).
    Thank for sharing such amazing art work :D

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    1. Jazakillah khairn, Kanra, you're very kind! I appreciate your continued support. :)

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  5. It is beautiful, Dian, and I love all the colours. You are very talented. :)

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  6. Wow Dian, that's awesome stuff. You're too good......or should I say perfect in your imperfect self. Thank you for such a lovely post and reminder:)

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  7. That is so amazing, which program did you use to make them?? I love the message as well :)

    xo, Emily | Lynde Avenue

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    1. Thank you, Emily. I drew it with some brushes, and scanned and edited it with Pixlr. :)

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  8. I love the wallpaper you've created and I love the message behind it. Perfection is impossible, but the authenticity of imperfections is beautiful.

    -M
    The Life of Little Me

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    1. Thank you, M. It is indeed beautiful. :)

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  9. Love love! I managed to make the laptop one for my iPad and I smile whenever I look at it. Your freebies are always fantabulous.

    ~Noor
    http://wonderkid22.blogspot.com

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