Wabi-Sabi: Embracing the Art of Imperfection
Do you ever arrive at Friday and wonder how your week completely dissolved in the blink of an eye? It happens to the best of us because, in this age of digital enlightenment, we live with constant churn; we run from meeting to meeting, pick the kids up from school, hastily make dinner, zonk out and the next day, we start all over again.
Wabi-Sabi Welcome arrived at the shop recently and it’s the perfect antidote to busy. If you’re new to wabi-sabi, the theory is pretty straight-forward, it’s the art of embracing imperfection in every aspect of your life. Basically, it’s all about CHILLING out and living as the author, Julie Pointer Adams puts it a “considered life” and so by doing, “[make] time and space to breathe, slow down, and be specific.” Julie has been entertaining crowds both large and small for years, but she purports entertaining doesn’t have to mean laying down a lavish meal for 15 dinner guests. It can mean preparing tea for a friend or inviting your neighbors over for a potluck and gathering flowers from your yard as your centerpiece.
As I was researching this piece, I stumbled upon a Holland Lake wedding that local event design guru, Kait Costanti of Bash designed which wholly embraces the wabi-sabi aesthetic. So, I decided to ask her a few questions about this event and get her take on the wabi-sabi way of life. Follow along to find out how she put this philosophy into practice.
1. I loved your recent work at Holland Lake. Tell me a little about this project. It feels like you embraced the WS tradition wholeheartedly. How did that come to pass?
Our Holland lake lodge wedding was a real passion project for the most deserving clients around. They have since become great friends. I’m currently in the process of developing a program that essentially gives a wedding away for free to a deserving couple that truly values a Wabi Sabi approach to weddings. This wedding was phase one of that project and while not all components were given away I still managed to get Florals on board (Wild Blume), Hair/Makeup (Shawny from Shine Bozeman), paper goods (Collette at Bontemps Calligraphy), all design/planning from BASH plus the squash blossom necklace (Mountainside Design). Next year will be the next phase and I can’t wait to see how that evolves.
2. How do you work this into your client projects?
As a designer, it’s so refreshing and fun when clients truly trust your process and enable you to let your creative juices flow and at the same time, they have faith that you will keep their personal style in mind. I’m of the opinion that less is more when done in an impactful, Wabi Sabi, way. Go big on florals! That said, big doesn’t mean it has to be expensive or big in the literal sense. It could be a minimal approach but the impact is big. Maybe it’s all monochromatic whites but with different textures and variations of white. Or it could be a few vibrantly colored Dahlia’s as big as saucers. Maybe no flowers at all! Whatever feels natural and organic for the event and space is how I like to design.
3. Are you encountering more clients who are seeking a ‘quieter’ celebration of their big day, i.e. drawing from the wabi-sabi ideal?
We tend to draw a more minimal bride that doesn’t want to overshadow the surroundings and isn’t as interested in adding things that don’t make sense. Just because you’re ‘supposed’ to have a guestbook doesn’t mean you have to. I think Wabi Sabi in the bridal sense means authenticity and paying attention to things that matter most while ditching traditions just for tradition’s sense. Montana is such a vast and incredibly picturesque locale, so our clients really want the beauty to shine through from the already existing landscapes.
4. How have you incorporated the wabi-sabi mindset in your personal life and your home?
Definitely. I’m a non-clutter type gal. I definitely have certain things that I love to collect and value but I’m not attached to things as much as I am to memories. I try to buy art everywhere I travel to remember the feeling of where I was. Wabi Sabi finds beauty in imperfection and that’s pretty much mantra in all aspects of my life.
Ready to adopt the Wabi-Sabi mindset? Start by grabbing a copy of Julie Pointer Adams gorgeous, Wabi-Sabi Welcome at the shop and be ready to embrace a life filled with thoughtfulness and ease.
