KINTSUGI: the art of embracing IMPERFECTIONS
KINTSUGI: BROKEN BUT BEAUTIFUL; BROKEN & FOREVER SHINNING.
Right from my childhood, I was fascinated by chipped, worn, faded things that had some history. While people of my age used to love new watches, designer jewellery, my heart used to gravitate towards my Mom’s old wristwatch as it had witnessed her struggles, stood the test of time and had sentimental value.
Perfection is what we want in every sphere of our life. We seek it in our looks, relationships, work, job, everywhere. This chase often leaves us unhappy and dissatisfied. The cause of our distress is that we desire things to be in a certain way and are not ready to accept even the slightest flaw of any sort. We regard things that don’t meet the standards of our perfection as inferior and inadequate.
In an age that worships youth, perfection and, the new; the Japanese art of KINTSUGI demonstrates us to care and respect the damaged, scarred, vulnerable and imperfect one.
Kin+tsugi=Gold+Joinery
Kintsugi mend broken pottery with gold and silver lacker. It heals and highlights the cracks in a piece of pottery, rather than hiding them. The brilliant golden lacker holds the pottery together, thereby creating a magnificent unique artefact.
The message of Kintsugi is so relevant in our everyday life. Whether we are going through the loss of a loved one or a job, or recovering from an injury or failure, divorce or other personal tragedy, Kintsugi reminds us that we are not a victim of our circumstances — and help us come out the other side mightier.
When we experience something difficult like heartbreak or failed business endeavour, a reaction is often to see ourselves as cracked or flawed. We believe that damage reduces the value of things. So, our instinct is to ignore or cover up the damage or the hurt. But what if, we shift our perception and view our flaws with appreciation, seeing them as beautiful, something that increases our worth.
In reality, we all are unique and perfect; we overshadow our spark by comparing ourselves with others. Failures and struggles make us realize that our life path and challenges are way too different from others. As in the case of ceramic pots, initially, they might look similar in terms of their appearance and purpose. But once they are broken and mended with the art of kintsugi, their cracks create a unique piece of design, thereby, making each one of them uncommon and distinctive.
The more the cracks will be, the more the golden filling will be. Similarly, in our lives, the more our failures and sufferings are, the more valuable, mature, experienced and golden we become.
Also, like a broken ceramic pot can restore and form a new identity, even we can heal and rise from our current situation, sometimes what may seem to us like a dreadful end, is, in reality, the dawn of a new beginning.
We all can fix ourselves with delicate filaments of gold with a sense of reverence instead of hiding the hurt of our past relationship or covering up our mistakes.
So, the next time when you feel broken, remember the art of kintsugi, hold your grief with tenderness, your mistakes with forgiveness and your frustrations with patience. Honour unique scrapes and scratches, chips and cracks of your experience with complete acceptance because they make us eccentric and beautiful.