Kintsugi Tortoise Print

If a dream is big enough and you pursue it long enough, it will break you. Your confidence will be shattered. Doubt will creep in. Hope will be lost. Then what?

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold (or other precious metals). Instead of disguising the damage, kintsugi highlights the repairs, transforming the broken object into a unique and beautiful piece. It’s a philosophy that embraces imperfections and impermanence, finding beauty in flaws and celebrating the history of an object. 

It’s true that if a vessel breaks, it can never be made to look new again. But kintsugi makes it better than new, because it’s even more beautiful than it was before.

Our brokenness makes us humble. These broken places within us are not defects. They are the places where light can shine through. Those golden scars embody a soul that is stronger and a story that’s more beautiful because of the trial.

This painting represents the slow patience that’s required of a person trying to achieve something great. It’s a reminder that we’ll experience the storms of struggle and brokenness. But it’s also a beacon of hope for brighter days waiting for us if we persist.

The journey may be harder than you expected, but the you that emerges will be better for it.