My friend recently introduced me to Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a Japanese philosophy that the value of something is not in its beauty, but in its imperfections.
Using Kintsugi as a metaphor for our lives teaches us a valuable lesson: In the process of embracing our flaws, we are able to take pride in those things about us that make us unique, resilient and beautiful.
Everyone needs friends who uplift them
Ultimately, I’m grateful to for the struggles and the setbacks we shared together, as they have made us into who we are today. Without those times of turmoil and change, the ups and downs, we would not be able to learn and grow or enrich our lives. The struggles will become your story, And that’s the beauty of kintsugi. Your cracks can become the most beautiful part of you.”
― Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit
Cultivate inner strength and rebuild your life with the ancient principles of kintsugi
When we lose a person we love, a job, or our health, it can feel like a precious piece of ourselves falling to the ground and shattering. But in the Japanese art of kintsugi, that’s where the creation of beauty begins―in the delicate re-joining and mending of shards with loving attention.
– Tomás Navarro, Kintsugi: The Japanese Art of Embracing the Imperfect and Loving Your Flaws
Creativity through destruction, beauty through mending
The importance of Kintsugi and related arts worldwide, is that it’s at its most compelling when it shows how individual objects are, by necessity, tied to specific places and people, each carrying a story unlike any other.
– Bonnie Kemske, Kintsugi: The Poetic Mend
Most of us are taught to hide our flaws and feel ashamed about our imperfections. But what would happen if we did what the Japanese do – and not only learn to embrace the flaws, but acknowledge them and make them radiate with light!
It’s time that we no longer shame and hide what is broken inside of us, but do as Kintsugi teaches us – to celebrate our imperfections as a sign of honor and increase of value.
