Chatting with a librarian about repairs totally shifted my view on 'good enough'

I was fixing a 1920s poetry book for my local library and mentioned being annoyed I couldn't match the original marbled paper perfectly. The librarian said, 'The story is the repair now, too.' That hit different, like the history of the fix is part of the book's life. Anyone else had a client's comment change how you approach a project?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_nelson5d ago

Actually that's a nice thought but it sounds like an excuse for sloppy work. The goal should be to make the repair invisible, not to add your own story. A client's random comment shouldn't lower your standards.

taylorpatel5d ago

Wait, have you ever worked with kintsugi? The whole point is that the gold repair lines are meant to be seen, not hidden. It's a specific art form about honoring the break, not a standard furniture fix where you try to make it disappear.

thomas2913d agoTop Commenter

Man, @taylorpatel is totally right about kintsugi being its own thing. It's not about hiding a mistake, it's a whole different goal. If a client asks for that look, you have to explain it's a choice, not bad work. I've had to clear that up before, because otherwise they just see shiny cracks and think you messed up. You gotta get on the same page about what "fixed" means for that piece.