Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese philosophy of beauty in transience and imperfection. When I first learned about the notion, I found it to be starkly contradictory to much what I’ve learned and seen in perspectives of others who live in the US. While Wabi-Sabi finds its way into the physical realm in many ways, I’m very interested by Wabi-Sabi pottery. I imagine it can be quite jarring to see cracks and uneven surfaces on a pot, but appreciating them is an idea I find incredibly meaningful. I see Wabi-Sabi pottery, and owning a Wabi-Sabi piece, as an everyday reminder to appreciate life and its ups and downs. By appreciating the philosophy’s aesthetic value, one can internalize it more strongly, which helps put its ideas into practice.
