Wabi-Sabi

 

Beauty in Imperfection

“Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese aesthetic in which imperfection, age, brokenness, and a run-down appearance are considered beautiful.”

Thomas Moore (Ageless Soul, p.2; St. Martin’s Essentials, NY, 2017)

          I was introduced to this term, Wabi-Sabi, recently at my cousin’s house. It was the title of a photography book by a friend of ours, Susan Logan and her husband, Bill. The photographs are of things in various stages of disrepair—perhaps a little rusty, some chipped paint, broken branches and so forth. Wabi-Sabi’s meaning is that beauty exists all around us, even in decaying or broken things, if we have eyes to see it.

          Of course, this aesthetic was obvious in the “shabby-chic” trend of a few years ago, in which peeling paint, distressed furniture and “repurposed” anything was the craze. Its message is that not only is there is beauty in imperfection, but that it is the imperfection that makes the piece interesting and attractive. Sometimes we say, “It has character!” An example of this is in the photograph above, which consists of an empty Scotch bottle, a small bunch of dried pods, and a mid-century Hull duck planter with a chipped beak.

          Unbeknownst to me, I have subscribed to this aesthetic for as long as I can remember! I have a collection of broken things, or things that were broken when they came to me, and I repaired them with lots of super glue and love. I like things that survive despite their presumed destruction—which says more about me than it does about the item.

          We humans are Wabi-Sabi. We are oh-so imperfect, blemished, sometimes broken, but beyond all that, beautiful. Have you ever met someone who is old, grey, wrinkled but still radiates a vitality that is gorgeous to behold? I have. And to be honest, all of us are beautifully imperfect to greater and lesser degrees. I know people who are profoundly impaired in body and mind, yet still communicate depth and intelligence and that spark of life that is simply irresistible. I’ll bet your do, too.

          When we find beauty only in perfection, we are doomed to spend our days searching for what rarely exists. But if we choose to be conscious of beauty in everything, we will never be disappointed. I hope you find some Wabi-Sabi today. If you have eyes to see it, you will! Go look in the mirror!

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane