Wabi Sabi

I think I have lost track of the number of comments about boiling the water before making ice so as to not have any air bubbles in the ice so I felt it was time to explain my ice making philosophy. At first I wanted to say I don't like to waste energy by boiling the water but that is a minor point compared to the real reason. The best way to sum it up was wabi sabi. Reduceddown to its simple essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, uncluttered.  Wabi-sabi is ice with bubbles , cracks and crevices not crystal clear, transparent, uniform, smooth ice. It rejoices in the imperfections  that time, weather, and  use leave as reminders. 

It is what makes nature and our attempts to photograph it so interesting and remarkable.

Just to be sure I knew what I was talking about I looked through my flickr set of snow and ice pictures and none of the natural ice was crystal clear. Here are a few examples .Compare this to a close up of the lace in ice. I really love when natural objects are trapped in ice so last night I decided to trap some of my pinecones in ice. I took a variety of cups and glasses from the kitchen cupboard and placed pinecones in them, filled up almost to the top with tap water and then left then outside on the porch overnight. This evening I thawed them enough to release them and then had a little bit of fun photographing them with candlelight. Can you see what I mean by wabi sabi in these pinecone popsicles. That last one, the most imperfect is my favorite one. It is so natural, organic and beautiful in it's display. I am hoping to have a wonderful display of nature ice art and candlelight on the porch on Christmas eve. I already have a few more frosty ideas twirling in my head. I think this year we should try to celebrate those little imperfections or quirks that make us so special.

Comments

[Heather]

this is beautiful, thank you!
I wholeheartedly agree.
and the older you get the more you realize how that concept can free you to love yourself... to be proud of the scars and wrinkles and to marvel at what our bodies can do! (although I must admit I am still yanking out rouge gray hairs... I'm still learning)
When I get frustrated about making a mistake (especially sewing!) I like to remind myself to be "more Amish". Oh, the beauty, the humility and the near-perfection of everything they do... but their creed is to always incorporate one mistake, to remember that only God is perfect. Yay! I'm off the hook!

[Sarah]

I love the idea of nature trapped in ice for a display. I might try to do this on the Solstice....although much is about to be buried in snow today!

[Lorie]

Your posts and ideas are so wonderful. I love the man-made+nature aspect of all of them. I had to chuckle about things frozen in ice, as we just watched "Ice Age' where the squirel is trapped in the ice at the end..ahem, ok, too much kids stuff! I think this is why I love japanese tea bowls so much, their wabi-sabi-ness..lovely stuff.

[rebekah]

i couldn't agree more!

I thought your ice doilies were perfect in their imperfections and I love the pinecones in ice! Your ideas inspire me and they minister to my soul. Thank you so much.

PS. Dance of the Sugar Plum Doilies was great!

[linda]

lovely. i have a hard time with "helpful" comments like that sometimes-- i know the commenter is simply trying to impart their wisdom but sometimes i take it as a criticism of my work-- it's frustrating.

i think they are wonderful just the way they are. you really make me want to start freezing things around here (maybe when we have our own house...)

[Patricia]

I think that you've just summed up zencrafting quite nicely! I have been planning a post about wabi sabi for a while now, but I think you just did it in a way that's illuminating and, most of all, empowering. I love it when others do my work for me!!

I have been off crafting and not blog reading, and what a giddy pleasure it was to return to blogland and see your frozen sugar-plum doilies wheeling around in the breeze!

[cathygaubert]

i too relish the beauty that can so often be found in imperfection...it seems more "real", if that makes sense.
be careful out there in the snow, and have a lovely end of the year with your family!
xoxo

[april]

so beautiful! I love the bubbles twirling around trapped in ice against the doilies and pinecones! I think it makes it look even more festive!

[Lisa Falzon]

Your trapped-in-ice images made my heart sing, really great idea...

And I am also a fan of your 'wabi-sabi' though I like to call myself, an 'IMperfectionist'... my lines are never straight nor glued things perfect, but once I stopped stressing over this and let it liberate me, I found there was nothing I'd rather be LESS than a perfectionist!

♥

[Renee]

Yes! These are a lot of the same philosophies I am thinking about these days. Perfection in the imperfections, finding ease in the difficulties--thank you for this post and your eloquent thoughts on wabi sabi.

[Jamie Watson]

Your pine cones in ice are sooooo rad. I like your brain! (-:

[Whitney]

I love the picture of the ice around the tree! The frozen movement is so great. The pinecones in ice are also really neat.

[Sue]

Wonderful post! We all should take it to heart and marvel at the things created be nature.
Have a wonderful merry Christmas!