This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
I was sitting in a theatre with a nude model in front of me, her form cast in stark light. I only had 15 seconds left, and the paper in front of me was full of scribbles and hastily scrawled human shapes. To my left and right, others looked equally as dubious as I felt, scratching curves into A3 paper. Then, the model changed position, and we started again – 1 minute on the timer.
I’d signed up for a figure drawing class a few weeks before. See, I’m working my way through a 100-item bucket list, with just four years to complete it, and learning how to draw people was on that list. As we sat around the room, the instructor had us draw the model in just 1 minute, before she changed poses, having us practice in quick bursts.
I realised about halfway through the day that there wasn’t actually a secret trick to life drawing – you just draw a lot and make mistakes. It’s literally just practice. It’s trying something new, and accepting that it won’t be perfect the first time you do it. See, perfectionism is often just a nicer label for “I don’t want to look stupid.”
Historically, I’ve treated hobbies like exams. Either I’m good quickly, or it doesn’t count. Chess has ratings, cycling has races, and even hobbies like reading are contextualised by the desire to read difficult books like Ulysses.
As I’ve worked through Project Bucket List, I’ve worn many different hats. I’ve fixed my car, made stained glass art, and ridden horses; however, they’ve all been clumsy, imperfect hats.
As I’ve explored more, I’ve found myself approaching new things with a sense of curiosity. You don’t need to become a Renaissance man to enjoy trying different things, either – in fact, you become one by nature of experimenting with different interests.
Trying out new things is a cure for stagnation. It feels far too comfortable to become a master at one thing, and when you think about it, mastery doesn’t have to be the point. I’ve come to understand that it’s healthy to embrace the idea of being a beginner. Being a beginner widens your life. Mastery is optional; curiosity and discovery are the real prizes.
If you’re bored with your own routines, pick one beginner thing for a month and go three times. Accept that you might not be good at it. The less pressure to be perfect, the more opportunity you have to experiment and enjoy things, and for those of us who want a full life, imperfection is the only way.
