The Creative art of Kintsugi

Most people would toss a broken ornament. Every year that I decorate my tree I come across this ornament. There is a Japanese art called Kintsugi. It is the art of using gold, silver or platinum to fix broken pottery and the resulting “scars” are known to leave the item being even more valuable in is broken and fixed state. The repaired items are only valuable, but also seen as more beautiful. 

Kintsugi is based on the principle that you do not hide the imperfections but instead you celebrate them by creating a unique object. You see, I love that I took the time to fix this broken ornament… a very cheap ornament at its origins, it was one of the first ornaments I purchased as a college graduated adult for my very own Christmas tree when I moved to Ohio. 

Unbroken it was a very dull green ornament that blended in. It was easily forgotten. It was purchased as a “filler”. However, once repaired I feel as though it became much more striking than before, much more resilient and much more valuable to me.

Kintsugi is a metaphor for healing and personal growth. It suggests that the process of overcoming hardship can make one stronger and more beautiful. Every year I am reminded of this when I decorate my tree. This year I got ahead of the game and decided to do so early.

This year I am reminded of the diversity of those around us. I personally believe diversity of personalities is the key to creativity and innovation. Being able to adapt to the diversity of those around us makes us each stronger to communicating with those different than us, open to others that work differently than us, and thus free to welcome new ideas that we wouldn’t normally suggest or explore when it comes to developing products.

When we surround ourselves with the same type of people that work the same way as us we become more likely to refuse the “crazy” ideas. We are less likely to explore possibilities and take risks… we end up stuck in same things we’ve always done….

But if we see and accept those around us as “different” for positive reasons we begin to develop teams that become more supportive of each other, less about competition, and we become more willing to be flexible with the boundaries of our ideas.

Be open to understanding others for their quirks and differences and see the benefit in having team members that “don’t fit in” or don’t “blend in”

I personally do not blend in and I don’t easily disappear in a crowd and I love it when those around me might do those things differently than me. (Or even similarly).  My favorite kind of team is one where people are free to be themselves because I think we all fill a different need in the team. 

DEFINITION OF KINTSUGI

The Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with gold is called Kintsugi. This technique uses lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum to mend the broken pieces, creating a new and often more beautiful object by highlighting the “scars” as part of its history. The philosophy behind it is that imperfections and breakage are not something to be hidden, but to be celebrated as a unique part of an object’s story.

• The process: Broken ceramic pieces are repaired with a special lacquer, like urushi, and then the joints are dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
• The philosophy: Kintsugi is rooted in the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence. Instead of trying to make a broken item look new, Kintsugi honors the damage and treats the repair as a crucial and beautiful part of the object’s life.
• A metaphor for life: Kintsugi is often used as a metaphor for healing and personal growth, suggesting that the process of overcoming hardship can make one stronger and more beautiful.