Art that Celebrates Imperfection
And Why I Had to Stop Hiding My Grey Hair to Make This Work
Imperfect Offering ©Donna Dufault
I didn’t start this work because I had all the answers.
I started it because I didn’t.
When I first began photographing silver platters for this new series, I wasn’t thinking about aging, or self-acceptance, or grace. I was thinking about beauty. About balance. About shape and shadow and the quiet elegance of tarnished things.
But something started to shift as I stared at these objects—really stared.
Each platter had scratches, dents, heat spots, years of use etched into its skin. They weren’t perfect, but they were beautiful.
And the more I leaned into that beauty, the more I began to wonder:
Why don’t I offer the same reverence to myself?
The Inner Decorator vs. The Inner Critic
I’ll be honest: letting my hair go grey was not easy.
Not because I didn’t want to—it had been whispering to me for a while.
But because I had spent years believing that beauty meant concealment.
Better lighting. (I am a professional photographer obsessed with good light after all!) Better PhotoShop tricks.
A better version of me.
And that thinking didn’t stop at the mirror.
It followed me into the spaces I lived in.
I used to decorate with precision—everything curated, nothing out of place. Clean counters. Pristine placement of my books. A small display of items that was constantly moved around to look perfect. Everything had a place.
But slowly, that felt sterile. It didn’t reflect the way I was trying to live. So I started placing art and artifacts in my home that reminded me of what’s real. My grandmothers blue glasses with a slight crack in the glaze. A silver tarnished frame with a favorite photo of a friend. A beat up toolbox as a side table - something aged and enduring, not pristine and polished.
It’s a practice. A conscious choice.
To see the beauty in what is, rather than what was.
To surround myself with objects that don’t hide their wear—but wear it proudly.
And to let my walls reflect the same honesty I’m trying to offer myself. Reminders.
So What Does This Mean for You?
If you're redecorating, thinking more about your surroundings, or even just refreshing a small space or looking for something for a blank wall, I want to offer you a different lens:
Choose art that tells a story, has meaning for you, not just matches a color scheme.
Let at least one piece in your space honor imperfection—wrinkles, wear, rust, cracks, patina, fading. These aren't flaws. They're evidence of endurance.
Surround yourself with images that make you feel seen, not just to impress.
My new photographic series, On a Silver Platter, was born from this tension between perfection and permission to celebrate something natural, real, and maybe not so perfect.
It’s not easy.
But it’s honest.
And for me, that’s where the real beauty lives.
Fundamental Nature ©Donna Dufault
Nothing is Perfect. ©Donna Dufault
Would you like a peek at the full collection? Click here:
On a Silver Platter - a fine art photograph series.
Or if this resonates with you—if you’re navigating your own shift into radical acceptance—I’d love to hear from you. What have you stopped hiding? What are you still learning to love?
Let’s talk about the beauty of imperfect things. Together.
—
Donna
Fine art photographer & recovering perfectionist
