Transforming 'average'

This morning I asked Jacinta what she was wearing. It looked fabulous.

Something from a boutique perhaps? A well-known designer piece? A vintage gem?

Nope. Straight off the shelf from H&M.

It didn’t have the greatest design, or most stylish cut. It’s definitely not the most striking item on the site. In fact, this item of clothing is… well, pretty average.

But she has a funny knack for that: making average clothes look good, and good clothes look great. A little adjustment here; pairing with a particular accessory there.

It’s a skill. And it can show up in all kinds of places.

The DJ Carl Cox has had a phenomonanally successful career spanning over 30 years. He’s rocked clubs and festivals around the globe, and to the trained ear his DJ style is unmistakeable.

But listen to many of the tracks he plays in isolation, and you’ll wind up disappointed. They’re pretty average. Just ‘ok’.

Part of Carl Cox’s success is in his ability make average records sounds good, good records sound great, and great records sound incredible.

It could be a a little adjustment to the original; pairing it with complementary pieces; or finding the right environment and time to bring something back out into view.

This isn’t to say we should settle for average.

But it’s worth us asking ourselves how we can make average into good, and good into great. It’s a skill worth practicing.

Most of the time, forcing ourselves to work with average is a handy constraint we can use. But the skill really pays off when ‘just ok’ is all we’ve got to work with.