Thursday, February 27, 2014

Wabi Sabi


Wabi Sabi:
 the beauty of the imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete




I've been thinking about messes a lot lately.

Thinking about messes and authenticity and imperfection. And I've been thinking about what it is that draws me in to a computer screen throughout the day.

I want to know about other people. I want to see what they are doing and where they are living and what they are eating. I like knowing what other people wear and what they read and what they watch on Netflix. It makes me feel connected. It inspires me. It encourages me.

But sometimes the beauty that I find on the screen seems so unreachable and unattainable. It is styled to the point of becoming sterile. The images, and the people behind them, lose their vulnerability, their relatability. They become impersonal. Beautiful and distant.

But messes are different. They tell a different story-- the story you  hide before guests come over. The half empty jars, the remnants of last's nights dinner, the half finished projects. The drawers full of things you're going to get around to fixing.

In an effort to celebrate the real and the authentic, to find beauty in imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, I am starting a project. I'm inviting people to share the wabi sabi in their homes. To share their messes and their moments, to tell us how they approach disorder and where they find beauty.

I am so excited for this project, and so honored that so many women I respect have said they are willing to share a part of themselves that they might not usually.




8 comments:

  1. I am so excited! I too love this authenticity, which is hard to find on the blogosphere these days. Messes and incomplete projects, etc. are super personal. I think it's going to be fantastic, and I can't wait! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it seems like blogging is less and less about sharing your actual life and sharing a perfect sterility. this post really nailed the problem. thankfully there are still blogs out there that are realistic and relatable. I look forward to this project :)

      Delete
    2. I like pretty sterility, but man, messy beauty is even better. thanks Emmett Katherine. can't wait to start sharing.

      Delete
  2. And meant to say, I LOVE the way your blog is looking these days! Such a beautiful update!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks you so much Lauren. I love the new look too, and I can;t wait to see your dirty dishes and junk drawers.

      Delete
  3. Ooh your blog is looking swell! Also, like Lauren, I am so so excited. Hoping to get my piece to you soon (but my house has been deceptively clean of late ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No need to mess it up on my behalf. I'm sure it will happen on it's own:) Sounds like you're writing distractions have resulted in a clean house?

      Delete
    2. Haha! It's true. When I'm home all day, house gets clean. You know, 'cos I don't have wee ones.

      Delete