(Ep. 9 – KINTSUGI)

It’s the first week of January, AND a new year! Goodbye 2021, hello 2022! As always, I don’t know exactly what this year holds in store for myself, but I have hopes for 5 different aspects of life overall! Learning, growth, adventures, fulfillment, and healing. These are what my resolutions, aspirations, and goals are centered around for 2022. What about you?

Whether you have similar aspects or vastly different ones, make sure that you picked them for how they will ultimately help and shape you. Make sure they’re within reach (even if it’s a bit of a far reach), and that they will bring you a deep level of satisfaction in some way. And lasting too! The only thing as bad as a goal out of reach is one that only brings temporary joy.

And since it’s the first week of the month, it’s time for another episode in my DIY series! Yes, this is something I will continue to do throughout 2022. Why? Because I feel that when people are given the knowledge and tools to succeed, they feel more empowered to try in the first place. It’s not about how something will turn out. It’s about the confidence to try to begin with.

This month’s project was inspired by my hopes for myself in 2022-specifically healing. I thought, what better way to start 2022 than to mend and repair some of the brokenness that I have leftover from the past? And then I remembered the art of Kintsugi. Bam! It hit me. I’ll repair something that has meaning to me using this form of art and use it as a representation for myself.

Kintsugi Healing

Something that I’ve always loved (regardless of my talent for it) is gardening. I love nature, watching things grow and transform, and the rewarding feeling from all of it. So I decided to repair a flower pot. It was actually given to me, so that makes it just a bit more special to me. And although this isn’t necessarily a project for Little’s to participate in, they can still get the reward of having something displayed that you not only fixed, but improved.

I also want to point out that I am in no way trying to impose on or belittle a form of art. I tried doing as much research as I could about the topic, but I also wanted to add some personal touches. I’m 100% open to feedback because I do love learning about different cultures and their ways of life! That being said, I’m going to explain the process that I performed personally.

First things first, find (or create) something that needs repair. Like I said, I used a flower pot. From there, you’ll need some supplies:

• 2-part epoxy (I used Gorilla Glue)
• plastic mixing tray (mine came with the epoxy)
• plastic or wooden stir stick (mine came with the epoxy)
• gold mica powder (I used my BareMinerals eyeshadow)
• parchment paper to work on
• *optional: paint or markers for decorating
• *optional: disposable gloves and razor blade for clean up

Make It Yours

It’s completely optional, but I decided to paint my pot a light tan color called ‘Khaki’. I liked it better than the terracotta color because it will match anywhere in my home. I initially bought gold leafing from my local craft store, but decided to use my eyeshadow instead because I didn’t think the leafing would mix with the epoxy well. So instead, I used some Mod Podge and a paint brush to apply gold leafing to the exterior of my pot when the paint dried.

I’m super glad I did this because it adds a cool textural appeal while also having a stark contrast from the gold epoxy I made. I didn’t know this is how it would be in the end, but that’s why I think it’s also important to add your own touches to the project you’re making. You never know what you’ll end up getting, and small mistakes/flaws are just what give the project character!

Once I had my pot looking just how I wanted it, I got together the main supplies for the project listed earlier and pictured below. The cool part about the epoxy that I bought is that I was able to use a small amount for this project and now I have some leftover for later! I read different reviews on if a different color than true gold, silver, or platinum is okay to use, so I stuck with true gold (which ironically is what my eyeshadow is aptly named.)

Kintsugi – Emphasize Imperfections

The word kintsugi means strong, and comes from the roots kin meaning gold and tsugi meaning join. The philosophy behind it is embracing human flaws and staying optimistic when things fall apart. It’s also an extension of the Japanese philosophy wabi-sabi which is to find beauty in imperfections and not only accept them but emphasize them.

I truly love this symbolism. Especially in an age of mass production and quick disposal, learning to accept and celebrate scars and flaws is a powerful lesson in humanity and sustainability. Plus, Kintsugi is an art that’s more than 400 years old! I highly recommend anyone who hasn’t tried it to give it a go. It’s hugely relieving/satisfying and, if you’re lucky enough to only have a few broken pieces, an honestly fast project!

My ultimate goal was to highlight the beauty all around as well as at the broken pieces. Because the way I see it, there’s beauty in my flaws, but my flaws also make me more beautiful all around. The gold leafing was a perfect touch for me, but might be a bit too much for someone else. I left the epoxy as is when sealing pieces together instead of cleaning up the mess, but that might be a bit too much for others.

Related: DIY Series-Episode 8

Mend & Grow

One of the only things I’ll advise if you do your own Kintsugi project is to enjoy the process. Don’t sweat the small stuff like if other people will think it’s cool. And if you’re worried about how good it looks when you’re done, well, I’d say you might be missing the point of the project. Embrace the flaws. Embrace the imperfections. And more than that, celebrate them!

One of the things I’m most excited for with this finished project is that I get to reuse it! And not only that, but plant something that will have a life of it’s own! For me, it’s another form of symbolism that I can now grow and thrive once I have taken the time to mend and repair my breaks. I’m thinking an aloe vera plant too-something that promotes more healing!

So, what are you waiting for? Start 2022 off right by taking some time to mend and grow! What project is inspiring you and calling your name? Share your ideas in the comments below! And as always, thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community! I encourage you to join discussions, interact with Mommas and others alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:

With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth To Momma