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WABI-SABI

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that appreciates the beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.

MINDSET

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It is an appreciation for the beauty in things that are manmade that are humble, modest, unique, and unusual.

 

Wabi-sabi are manmade objects, spaces or designs that:

  • Are earthy, imperfect, and are irregular and variable in their form 

  • Do not have decoration that is not integral to the structure and don't specifically represent an object in the world

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Why is it interesting?

Wabi-sabi is a way of looking at the universe by acknowledging that things are always coming from or going to nothingness. By having a wabi-sabi mindset, you can accept that all things are:

  • Incomplete

  • Imperfect

  • Impermanent

experience IT!

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What you need:

You only need any open mind, but you can have pen and paper ready if you feel inspired to write a note, sketch a drawing, or write a poem.

 

Steps to experiencing wabi-sabi:

  1. Find a quiet place where you can sit and observe the things around you.

  2. Look for what makes things stand out as being different or irregular. For instance, you might see:
    • A weed growing out of a crack in the sidewalk
    • A cup with a crack in it

  3. Rather than seeing these as bad imperfections, consider ways to appreciate them. For instance:
    • The weed shows the resilience of nature to survive even in challenging places
    • The crack shows a cup that's provided a drink for someone thirsty

  4. With this mindset, you can see that beauty surrounds you. You need only take the time to look for it.

  5. See how many wabi-sabi objects you can discover around you. Challenge someone you live with to see how many wabi-sabi they can identify.

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Share:

  • "Wabi-sabi" is a fun word to say. See how many people know what it means.

  • Send us a photo of your favorite wabi-sabi discovery to include in our gallery.

Dedicated to Barbara Finney

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