Wabi sabi, based in Zen Buddhism, finds beauty in what is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.
Every semester in my ceramics class, we make Japanese tea bowls. I teach about the Japanese tea ceremony, and introduce the principles of wabi sabi. Students like the idea that imperfection is considered beautiful. (I emphasis sloppy is not beautiful.) To some the idea of imperfection is comforting, to others its frustrating. Some students find it hard to accept that the tea bowl will never be how they are picturing it their mind, that a crack will not go away, or they can't make the bowl completely smooth or perfectly even.
I find wabi sabi is not just a philosophy of art, but a parallel to our own lives.
There is value and beauty in the process and struggle of life.
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3 comments:
Good points! I think maybe I just might embrace my flaws instead of always trying to correct all of them. We'll see if I can do it, I sure would like to try! I love the idea of the Wabi Sabi pots and the one pictured is way cool. Maybe I'll just remind myself to veiw myself as one of these pots and remember I will never be perfect, so quit trying so dang hard. It might work...? Cool ideas.
Really interesting. Where did you learn about "wabi sabi?" After 18 months in Japan you'd think I'd know a little more than I do, but the culture and vocabulary I learned were necessarily limited. :-)
My life is Wabi Sabi.
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