There's a Japanese philosophy called wabi-sabi that I carry with me in my studio. Whether I am working on a ceramic mug, a large textile sculpture or my wall art on canvas, the concept lives strongly. It's not just an aesthetic but a way of seeing the world: finding the beauty in imperfection.
When I leave the rim of a vase uneven or a sculpture feels slightly off balance, it isn't because I missed something. Its because that's where the soul of the piece lives. The crack that forms, the unpredictable textures...these are not flaws to correct.
Wabi- Sabi reminds me that nothing lasts forever. Every "Mistake" made in the studio I have learned to accept and even embrace. I convince myself that that's what the piece wants to be. This is how she wants to exist in the world, and who am I to interfere with that? I am merely their surrogate mother - they do not belong to me. I am just the vessel in which they chose to enter the world.
In a world obsessed with polish, symmetry and perfection, wabi-sabi is resistance to all of that. It allows the imperfections to form lives of their own. It forces us to see the beauty in all that is truly alive, because lets face it, we can't truly be alive without being flawed in some way. We can't exist without being imperfect, or broken and put back together. Without our wounds either exposed or poorly covered up. There is beauty in everyone and everything. I truly believe that. I have never met a single person that was "perfect" and yet I have never met a single person that didn't have something beautiful about them. All of us. Yes you, reading this. You are not perfect, but you are beautiful in your own right.
This is what I try to embrace in my work - from the content I film to the sculptures I build, I want them to resemble me and humans alike.
Lina
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My cheek was lower on one side, i was ashamed. Yet you held it in the softness of your hand, caressed it and i knew that all is well…That i am special in your eyes.