Perfection is boring.

Arne van Oosterom
2 min readApr 6, 2023

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It’s Imperfection we love. The gritty, or over-the-top. We like to be on the edge of our seat, in suspense by cliffhangers and the unknown. A surprise, serendipitous discovery and happy accidents make us feel alive. We like scary movies, acrobats and rollercoasters. We like comedians that makes us laugh about things we should not laugh at. Comedy is truth + pain.

Perfection is boring. We like anti-heroes and villains, sad stories and making it against-all-odds… we like contrast, the tensions between opposites. There is no light without dark, no night without day. No good without bad. No Badman without a Joker.

Perfection is boring. It tells no story, and stories are essential. Stories help us share wisdom, connect emotionally and shape reality. They give order and meaning to the chaos we live in. The stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves shape who we are. We live for stories. We are story.

Perfection is boring. Vincent van Gogh was a bad painter and was even considered a madman and a failure… but his inability to paint like the more ‘talented’ painters made him discover a unique style and visual language. We love his art + his painful life story. Even if most of it is untrue.

Perfection is boring. Photographers give their 60 megapixel photos an analog look, film and vinyl records are back, the 4K television makes everything look too sharp (I set it on ‘film’ look). Technology, or the tech industry, is in an arms race to create the smartest, fastest, highest resolution products. Boring. Fortunately humans will find a way to mess it up, break it, blend it, use it in unintended ways to make it exciting and meaningful. Not because we intended to, but because humans are clumsy, messy, forgetful and stupid. That’s how we invent new things.

Perfection is boring. So do imperfect things and be the beautifully imperfect human you are.

I hope you enjoy our imperfect newsletter.

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Arne van Oosterom

Podcaster, Founder Future Skills Academy, Blue Sky Republic, Creative Leadership Coach, Founder DesignThinkers Academy and Group