New Experiences: Kintsugi ( 金継ぎ)
A few weeks back I attended a kintsugi workshop with my friend Cat.
The word ‘kin 金’ means gold and the word ‘tsugi 継ぎ’ joinery.
A popular story arounds the origins of kintsugi goes that when Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent a broken Chinese tea bowl back to China for repair, he was displeased with the metal staples used to repair the bowl finding it aesthetically displeasing. He therefore commissioned Japanese craftsmen to find a more aesthetically pleasing method, leading to the development of kintsugi.
The workshop itself comprised of choosing a piece of pottery, using a hammer to gently break it into 4 pieces, and then put it back together using kintsugi - epoxy resin glue and then gold powder. The idea of repairing something and making it more beauty than it was before.
Kintsugi has always been a concept that I have been fascinated in. It resonates very deeply with the part of me that has always clung into the idea of perfection or needing to be perfect. But the concept itself is rooted in the Japanese way of life or philosophy ‘wabi-sabi’, the idea of acceptance of transcience and imperfection. Embracing that exact concept that I have struggled the most with.
The idea that there is beauty in imperfection and from a philosophical perspective that its OK to let your scars show to the world because they are part of who you are.
The physical act of putting together a broken ceramic (which I deliberately broke in the first place) felt cathartic and symbolic, taking ownership and responsibility for repairing 'myself' and doing it in a way which highlights the journey I have been on. Its ok to break and repair, because that is who you are and what makes you as an individual unique.
Don't be afraid to embrace your authenticity, including the scars. As Ben Barnes says in his recent song 'The cracks are where the light gets in'
Always strive for imperfectly perfect.