The Beauty of Imperfection

Don't try and hide your age and imperfections - flaunt them!

It’s true to say that when you pay good money for something new, be it a motorhome or a model railway locomotive, that product should be 100% perfect; blemish free, and zero faults. That fresh-out-of-the box aesthetic can be a joy to behold, and is part of the attraction of something shiny and new.

However, there are times when new and perfect are less beautiful and less valuable than their aged, battered, and worn equivalents.

This really hit home with me the other day.

One of my earliest memories was as a four-year-old boy, going to my Auntie Joyce’s house with my Nan on a Wednesday afternoon. Auntie Joyce used to let me play with the phonogram, and out of all the 45s and 78s my complete and utter favourite was Silence is Golden by the Tremeloes. Every Wednesday I’d go to Auntie Joyces and play Silence is Golden over and over until it was time for tea.

A few years later towards the end of the 1970s, the stereo became commonplace. Phonograms were considered as outdated as coal fires and cars with a crank-start, and my Auntie Ivy kindly gave me her old phonogram. If having my own music-box wasn’t good enough, Auntie Joyce also gave me her copy of Silence is Golden.

I think I wore it out. I still recall the vivid orange CBS label, the fairly weak B-side called Jenny’s Alright, and every single hiss, crack, and pop that the needle would reproduce from the ageing vinyl. As the record slowly wore out, the clarity of the song slowly degraded. But nothing could temper my joy of listening to Silence is Golden, at least not until the likes of Grease and Abba came along and took its place.

Forty-something years later, having caught a snippet of Silence is Golden on the radio, I wanted to hear it again. As I searched YouTube, a good source of listening to music in exchange for a bit of ad revenue going to the artist, my hopes started to build. I couldn’t wait to listen to a remastered, cleaned-up version of the song I so loved as a child.

After the familiar five-note introduction, the instruments bounded in together with the vocals and their ‘Ooooh-oooh…’

My heart sank. My chin dropped. My dream shattered.

Gone was the warmth of my original. Gone were the hisses and the crackles, which over the years had become an intrinsic part of the experience. Gone was the subtle distortion of the wall of sound. Instead, I was listening to a clean, clear, and utterly soulless and weak rendition of the song I so loved as a kid. Squeaky clean and remastered, it became just another forgettable and bland pop tune. Stereophonic beige.

'Disappointment’ doesn’t even come close.

There comes a time, as there probably did with my original 45, where something can become so badly aged and deteriorated that it no longer serves its intended purpose.

However, when something has aged well, such ageing and imperfection adds value and adds character. It’s why flawed people are often so much more attractive than those who are oh-so-perfect.

Say Cheese

‘Your smile has character,’ my dentist told me a few months ago. I went to him to ask about braces to straighten that wonky fang of mine that’s out of kilter, but he was reticent to create a ‘Hollywood’ smile. He’s right. The unimaginably perfect dazzling white smile of the 1980s is now ridiculed as being cheesy. Read through the YouTube comments to the 1970s classic Dancing in the City by Marshall, Haine, and you’ll see that many commentators are going gooey over the oh-so-cute gap in the singer’s teeth.

Cedar cladding on a house only looks at its best once it has aged and taken on a silver-grey patina. Leather only looks good when it’s worn-in and comfortable; the same applies to a waxed cotton jacket.

Therefore, I think we can all give ourselves permission to check out of the Perfection mindset. It is that which is imperfect that makes us uniquely attractive. I strive every day to be the best Andrew Ditton that I can be, but I gave up a long time ago trying to be perfect… whatever that means.

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Taking a Break from YouTube - an Update

Most of you will know I decided it was high time to step away from YouTube a few weeks ago. Since then, I have been lucky enough to have been kept busy with writing and research commissions.

So far, the break has been a positive experience. I’m still blown away by the kindness and generosity of the folks who supported us through the Buy Me a Coffee programme. It’s been truly humbling.

As Dougal and I are Locked Down just like the rest of the UK, it feels right not to be out and about making videos. By sheer coincidence, the Stay at Home ruling in Scotland is currently scheduled to end on 5th April, round about the time we intend to start sharing videos again.

Despite the lack of uploads, the channel is still ticking along and the world hasn’t ended. Getting off the bandwagon has helped me create a bit of distance between my everyday world and my YouTube channel. The more separated one becomes from it, the more you realise that the numbers really do not matter. That might be why YouTube tries its hardest to keep you sucked in and feeding its insatiable appetite for ad revenue.

Yes, it’s nice to see growth and it’s disappointing to see contraction, but at the end of the day, I don’t crave further growth. I just enjoy sharing my adventures with the people who matter. Living simply here in the Outer Hebrides means that I don’t need to make a huge stack of money to maintain a lavish lifestyle or grow a business, I’m really happy just as we are.

We’re back to that magic word again - enough.

As things stand right now, it’s all enough. I cannot wait to get back out on the road again with Dougal when the time comes. When I have something worth sharing, I’ll share it with you. Until then, saving your time and my energy by not creating videos still very much feels like the right thing to do.

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How to Support Streamlining

There are two ways you can support me and this newsletter:

1. If you wish, you can show your support for what I do through Buy Me a Coffee. Although I’ll probably end up buying tea. Or snacks for Dougal.

I understand that not everyone who would like to will be in a position to support in this way, and that’s absolutely fine! My content is available to everyone, regardless of their circumstances.

2. Most importantly, please subscribe and share Streamlining with those who you think might enjoy it.

Thank you.