The Beauty of Error
“Don’t fear mistakes. There are none.”– Miles Davis
I make mistakes. I’m convinced that no one can avoid making mistakes despite the authority with which Miles may make his claim.
Mistakes as a presence in art is undeniable.
The lesson as I understand it, is of learning and adapting to what is originally perceived as error so that it becomes a path towards mastery. I imagine that at least some of this concept bears truth in all endeavors.
But mistakes are not so simple…
There are mistakes, there are errors, and there are lessons.
An error only means a difference between what we thought could be and what became. We turn it into a lesson to the degree we can acknowledge it. We turn it into a mistake to the degree we ignore it.
If we are without error, it is only because we haven’t tried.
It is the grace with which we fumble, by which there are no mistakes.
- Kourosh
For a deeper dive into this excerpt, check out the podcast episode here.
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