My Mistakes

Dear Friend,
The print edition of Soul Artist Journal | ESPERANZA arrived to my home last Friday. There was a slight delay this season, so I was eager to open the boxes and get the books sent out to subscribers and contributors, asap. But first, as this issue advocates, I made some space to celebrate the simple joy of it. I brewed some tea, drew a bath and settled in to savor the 170 pages. Although I have looked over the digital copy many, many times, turning the paper is such a different experience–to hold the issue in hand, to read the print on the page...to find all the typos 🙈.

This is the second issue of Soul Artist Journal and, so far, there have been a few mistakes. For instance: I copied and pasted "PRINTED IN THE UNTITES STATES OF AMERICA," from ORIGINS to ESPERANZA, without noticing the typo 🙈. In both issues I also added an extra the the or that that in a couple places. And there are a few more tiny annoyances that probably most readers would never detect.

But then I found my biggest mistake on page 24 of the latest issue! ​
Inspired by his interview with Tim Z. Hernandez, Mikey Brackett included this line from Thich Nhat Hanh:
"If you are a poet then you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper."
​
It is an important quote, one that inspired Tim Z in his formative years as an artist and poet. It is important to me, as a mutual fan of Thich Nhat Hanh. And it is important to Mikey, who actually alerted me, by email, that the typo was there. Yet, somehow the quote in the print reads: "If you are a poet then you see clearly that there is a cloud flailing in the sheet of paper." Flailing! 🙈

In years past, I would have been so mortified that I might have talked myself out of ever producing another Soul Artist Journal. After all, editing takes a ton of precision, exactitude, and meticulousness, three qualities I have never been accused of possessing. Maybe I should stick to the wild, impulsive, creative stuff that doesn't require such attention to detail?

But then I turned 52 this week, and my daughter gave me a handmade card for my birthday. 
I love her cards! 
Each holiday she pulls out the box of origami sheets and construction paper; paint, markers and glue to create something that I will keep forever. Her cards always have the best little "mistakes"–misspelled or crossed out words–each a cherished reflection of her learning growth, depth, and development. While her methods are not exactly meticulous, her creativity is a direct expression of her care–her love. Our personal connection is far more meaningful than any "perfectly" mass-produced greeting.

My little girl inspires me to create on purpose, to be comfortable with both my strengths and my weaknesses, to step over my ego to discover something better. She reminds me that, even at 52, I am still growing. She encourages me to keep expanding beyond my edges and to create meaningful gifts from my mistakes.

So if you're lucky enough to get one of the first 100 copies of ESPERANZA, you will find an extra personal touch to your magazine: we have meticulously glued the Thich Nhat Hanh quote overtop the typo. 🐒

And, by the way, the rest of the quote goes like this:
..."Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist."

Some mistakes are surprisingly poetic.