Some Thoughts on Wabi Sabi

What is Wabi Sabi?

Wabi sabi is a Japanese idea that is about appreciating the beauty in impermanent, imperfect things. Not to be confused with wasabi, which is Japanese horseradish, the idea of wabi sabi includes things that have aged, faded or withered, and have become more beautiful in the process. It’s also there in broken things that have been mended, and in things that have a special beauty because they don’t last.

As with many Japanese ideas, wabi sabi can be a difficult thing for us Westerners to fully understand. It’s not just about finding beauty in imperfection. It’s a philosophy, and a feeling evoked by the transience of existing things.

Cherry blossom is a good example of wabi sabi. There are lots of trees that have beautiful blossom in the spring. What makes cherry blossom different is that once the trees bloom, it’s only there for a few days, whereas other trees will have a longer blooming season. Its transience makes it even more beautiful, because it’s easy to miss it. So in Japanese philosophy, cherry blossom is like life, beautiful but short, a perfect example of wabi sabi.

One reason why I like the idea of wabi sabi is because it goes against the idea that newer and younger is automatically better.

It runs contrary to the throw away culture that’s so common in the West. We buy things that are new but cheap, then throw them away, resulting in an ecological nightmare, both through the production process and in piles of stuff in landfill that people no longer want. It also doesn’t help the cost of living that we have a culture of wasting things and throwing stuff out because we’re tired of it or we can’t be bothered to mend it.

Wabi sabi on the other hand is about having an appreciation for things that aren’t new. Even when something is worn or broken, it can be made even more beautiful by being mended. Kintsugi is the art of mending broken pots with lacquer and gold dust, resulting in vessels that are considered more beautiful and precious than they were before. In traditional Japanese arts and crafts, there are various techniques for repairing textiles.

The process of aging and decay can also render things beautiful. The patina on an old piece of leather, discolouration on roof tiles, or the way a piece of wood has changed colour as it has aged.

Of course, it’s not just objects that get older! Wabi sabi has relevance for us getting older too.

In the West, we spend an awful lot of time trying to convince ourselves and everybody around us that we are still young, even when we are not. Cosmetic companies make millions selling women the idea that they can stay young if they spend a small fortune on face cream.

I think it’s important to consider why things are like they are. I’m finding myself now at the stage of life where women start to become invisible. I was very aware of this recently, when I was watching a series of talks about increasing sales on Etsy. The hosts, who were all in the first half of their lives, talked quite a lot about Gen Z and Millennials, but didn’t mention anyone older once! Yet I know that there are plenty of people aged 40+ who use Etsy, both as sellers and as shoppers.

In some cultures, older people are seen as wise, but in the West, we’re seen as past it. This is not wabi sabi, and perhaps if being older was seen in a more positive way, we wouldn’t be so anxious to try to hide what is an inevitable part of life. And like a beautiful piece of wood, or cherry blossom, it would be seen as precious and valuable in its own way.

Some More Examples of Wabi Sabi

It’s necessary to say at this point that not everything that is old and worn is beautiful. Some things are not, and there is not need to try to convince ourselves otherwise. The point is that we can find all kinds of treasures if we are prepared to look beyond the obvious. And there are lots of examples of wabi sabi without having to go to Japan!

Autumn leaves. As well as the colours, the way that dry leaves curl sometimes is interesting.

Conkers. It would be hard to make anything as beautiful as a conker, newly out of its shell, all brown and shiny with patterns like finger whorls. And after a few weeks, they’ve either dried out or they’re going the way of the leaves and becoming earth again.

Spiders’ webs. Delicate and ethereal, they rarely last more than a day.

Faded fabric. The thing I like most about old fabric is how soft it is. There’s also something appealing about the way the colours and patterns become more muted.

Rust. Sometimes rusty things look horrible. But other times it lends a real beauty, especially if it contrasts with the original colour of the item. So something blue or green that has turned rusty can often be more beautiful than when it was new.

Rust is a form of oxidisation, which is when the metal reacts with oxygen. There are other metals that oxidise too, like copper, which turns green.

A reflection in water. There’s no way to capture a reflection, except perhaps in a photo or a drawing. Even if you go back to the same spot on a different day or at a different time, the reflection will probably be different.

What it Means for Us as Creative People

Sometimes just noticing is enough, and acknowledging that new doesn’t automatically mean better. There is beauty to be found in older things and transience has its own beauty.

But if you want to use the idea of wabi sabi in a practical way, here are some suggestions.

Colours. You could take inspiration from the colours of autumn leaves, or the rust on an old railway carriage, and use them to plan an outfit, or knit, crochet or embroider something.

Patterns. There might be way to incorporate the patterns of frost, or the pattern on old tiles into a project.

Beautiful mending. Visible mending is a way of making something old and worn even more beautiful, without pretending that it isn’t what it is.

Using frayed scraps of things. You might be able to find a way to use beautiful pieces of old fabric. A small project, like a notebook cover, would be good for this. It could be combined with visible mending to make something special and unique.

Even trying to capture a moment is wabi sabi, whether it is with a painting, embroidery or a photograph. It’s mending things and seeing the value in things even if they are not shiny and new. It’s recognising that all things will pass, good and bad. All things age and change, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s still beauty all around us, even in change and decay.