IN JAPAN, when any crockery item or vase breaks, it is not discarded, rather the Japanese reconstruct it. And thus, they create another beautiful item from something that was broken and seemed useless. Something that was considered trash before now becomes an antique designer artifact that has elevated value. This art is known as Kintsugi. Instead of hiding cracks or breakages, Kintsugi highlights them and makes them a part of a transformational story rather than a matter of disguise. But Kintsugi is beyond pottery, crockery and ceramic redesigns. It enforces a strong concept--Your perception is what shapes reality!

 

One scenario, two different perceptions leading to two different outcomes. If you perceive the broken crockery as damaged, it leads to it being discarded. On the other hand, if we see the crack as history and strength, we create a valuable piece of art. Now lets see the same principle from the lens of life. The breaks are the challenges one faces in life or the imperfections one has, which break and shatter one into pieces. If one sees imperfections as defects it will only lead to dejection, self doubt and a lifetime of insecurities.

 

On the other hand, if we follow the principle of Kintsugi we accept the imperfections, understand that what breaks us is not bad and embrace the same with the lacquer of patience, time, healing, self acceptance, growth and care...we become a piece of art! The precious metals mixed in lacquer, while redesigning the crockery, can be metaphorically seen as the qualities one gains in the process of healing, like wisdom, resilience, confidence, compassion etc. Kintsugi is beyond just creating art, the grass root thought is that beauty doesn’t lie in being perfect but in embracing the imperfections. So if you are overthinking all the worst case scenarios in your head , think about what would happen if you thought about the best scenarios. If you are broken, it doesn’t signify that you are useless, maybe you are just the next piece of art in the making!