𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The Other Side of Being a Diva

In a recent post, I defended divas — people who insist on having the perfect conditions to perform at their best.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻.

Take 𝗞𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁’𝘀 𝗞𝗼̈𝗹𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 as an example. In 1975, he was given a piano that was out of tune and not the model he’d requested. 

By all rights, Jarrett could have walked away. Instead, he embraced the limitations and delivered one of the most iconic and best-selling jazz recordings of all time.

If he had refused to play because the conditions weren’t perfect, we wouldn’t have that masterpiece today.

Having high standards is essential. But insisting on perfection can cause us to miss those moments where creativity and adaptability spark something truly remarkable.

When presenting, I do my best work when I can control the setup. For example, I refuse to submit my slides weeks in advance, so I can update content right before the show. 

But I’ve also learned that 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗳, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀.

The key is balancing those high standards with flexibility.

Because while perfection might be the goal, it’s often the imperfections that lead to brilliance.