Practice Makes Perfect
Sam Pickett ‘21
Columns Editor
One problem with being a law student (and there are many) is that you’re probably a perfectionist. Being a perfectionist has its advantages, sure. It got me into this law school and got me a job, and it made me great at baking cookies when I was younger[1] because I stuck to the recipe and didn’t risk deviating for anything. I mean my measurements were precise. But being a perfectionist also means that I don’t like being bad at things. And so, when quarantine began and I realized the need for a hobby that didn’t involve going to Bar Review,[2] I was left with a quandary. Would I pursue certain interests even if it meant that I would also be bad at them? What follows is a catalogue of my adventures in discovering different interests and overcoming the need for perfection.
Coffee
I love coffee, like most law students, and decided that if I was going to “get into something” during quarantine, why not choose coffee? How hard could it be? I already had my parents’ old coffee grinder and figured I would just need some beans. It turns out that I was wrong. Coffee people are, to be frank, insufferable. They take something as joyfully simple as coffee and muck it up. What kind of grinder do you have? How hot is your water? What kind of water are you using? What is the exact ratio of coffee to water?
I wanted to experiment with coffee, but it seemed that if I wasn’t going to do it like the coffee nerds then I might as well not do it at all. This was part perfectionist[3] and also part laziness. After all, I like coffee not just for its taste but for its ease, and I simply don’t have the patience to worry about every little detail when making coffee before class.
I will say, however, that my coffee caper was not a complete failure. I bought one of those coffee subscriptions and now have a vague idea of what coffees I do and don’t like. And that’s all I really wanted from this experience.
Cocktails
There was a point early on in quarantine where beer and wine simply were not enough. When there is a new pandemic and no one really knows what to do and everyone is scared of everything, you need something a little stronger. And so began my interest in cocktails, which started with perfecting an Old Fashioned and is still going strong.
But my interest in cocktails has really been a team effort. During the summer, my firm hosted a virtual cocktail making class, where I learned how to make something other than an Old Fashioned. And while my interest waned as I became busier with school, it was reignited during winter break when I was gifted a bar set[4] and a recipe book. With better tools and more recipes, my interest in cocktails has persevered. It also helps that making cocktails is relatively simple, and therefore ideal for my perfectionist sensibilities.
Making things from scratch
I used to think Tik Tok was just a Vine knockoff—a failed attempt to recreate the magic of my high school and early college years. But when quarantine dramatically increased the amount of free time I had, I discovered that the app wasn’t half bad. In fact, it’s brilliant and filled with lots of people with lots to teach me. More specifically, it’s filled with people who know how to make things from scratch. And if some random 14-year-old can make no-knead bread, then why couldn’t I?
And so, during quarantine I have made corn tortillas, bread, and bagels, all from scratch! This is the perfect activity for a perfectionist because these recipes are very forgiving, and so even if you think you messed up every step, you can find success. It also helped me lose some of my perfectionism, because I was so happy to have made something that even remotely resembled bagels that I couldn’t care less if they were perfectly round. Like cocktails, this interest has stuck.
Drawing
Drawing is perhaps the most intimidating of my interests because it requires so much practice to be good at it. And the practice takes a lot of time and effort and never looks as good as you want it. It’s like your 1L memo, or almost anything I write.
But as I write this article, I am attempting to learn to draw once again. I’ve learned that my sketches won’t be perfect, and that has helped, but only time will tell if I can get over my perfectionism enough to stick with it. But in the meantime, at least I can eat some homemade bagels.
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shp8dz@virginia.edu
[1] I had my own cookie-baking business called “Sam’s Baked Desserts.” It was a huge success until I got too lazy.
[2] 1Ls still don’t know what this is and that really pains me.
[3] You know what perfectionists say: If the going gets tough, stop before you must acknowledge your failure.
[4] My sister got me the bar set, and it’s funny because I had never mentioned that I made cocktails. Did she just assume lawyers need cocktails to function with our long, stressful hours? Do I just seem like the person basic enough to want to make cocktails?