April 21 • Unfinishing It

Day 286 It's not always clear what their motivation was, but many renowned artists left what appears to be great works unfinished. Some of these unfinished works are actually worth more than many of their completed pieces, and I'd like to believe it's because the artist knew the difference between giving up and just quitting. Many more works have been ruined because the painter or the sculptor or the writer or the boxer or the ballplayer didn't understand when to stop and move on.

I think that the same thing is also reflected in the art of Persian rugs when the creator always leaves one thread too long or too short just to make sure that the Creator knows that the created cannot achieve perfection.

I want to be as good as I can be — maybe even great at something were I to be that lucky. But I also wouldn't mind being able to leave the finishing to someone else, or just leave it, if it's just time to go. –JR