As the family and I spend some time really exploring Hokaido we are enjoying the changing seasons here. It’s farther north than the mainland so the cold air sets in earlier here. I took this shot in front of Mt. Yotei, or Ezo Fuji (Hokkaido’s Mt. Fuji) as it’s affectionately known here. With the changing seasons, this makes me think about wabi-sabi more often.

Wabi-sabi represents what may be the "most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty."

It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as Greek ideals of beauty and perfection occupy in the West.

But where Greek aesthetics seeks perfection, wabi-sabi seeks authenticity.

Where Western beauty hides flaws, Japanese beauty reveals them—and makes them golden.

The term wabi originally described the loneliness of living in nature, away from society. It carried connotations of poverty, insufficiency, isolation.

But through centuries of tea ceremony practice, beginning with the great master Sen no Rikyū in the 15th century, wabi transformed.

It came to mean: finding richness in simplicity. Discovering beauty in modest, humble things. Appreciating what is, rather than longing for what could be.

Sabi speaks to the beauty that emerges with the passage of time—the patina of rust forming on metal, the grain of wood worn smooth by years of touch, the moss growing on stone.

Together, wabi-sabi teaches:

Nothing lasts. Nothing is finished. Nothing is perfect.Video on Ma in Japanese Gardens

Studies in creativity consistently show: constraints produce better work than unlimited freedom.

Imperfect tools force innovation. Limitations demand creativity. Flaws create character.

Japanese pottery traditions understood this centuries before the research proved it. Raku ware, with its irregular shapes and natural glazes, doesn't pursue perfection. It pursues presence.

Each piece captures a moment—the fire, the artist's hand, the accident that becomes the signature.

Weekly Wabi-Sabi Practice

In your creative work:

In your photography:

In your life:

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The Japanese art form sashiko—visible mending using simple running stitches—perfectly embodies wabi-sabi. Instead of hiding repairs, sashiko makes them decorative. The mended garment becomes more beautiful than the original.

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Stop Chasing Perfect. Start Capturing Truth.

In a world obsessed with filters and flawless images, what if the most powerful photographs weren't about perfection—but about seeing deeply?

The Quiet Lens reveals how the ancient Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi can revolutionize your photography and transform the way you see the world. This isn't just another photography technique book—it's a manifesto for finding extraordinary beauty in ordinary imperfection.

What You'll Discover:

From the Author: "After years living in Japan and earning my PhD in Japanese Studies from Osaka University, I discovered that the most profound photographs don't hide imperfection—they celebrate it. This book shares that transformative vision."

Whether you're a seasoned photographer seeking fresh inspiration or a creative soul drawn to mindful photography, The Quiet Lens will change how you see—and capture—the world's quiet poetry.

The bowl breaks.

You have a choice.

Hide the crack and pretend it never broke. Or fill it with gold and make the break the most beautiful part.

Your creative work is the same. Your life is the same.

The question isn't whether you'll have cracks. The question is: will you fill them with gold?

Until next week,

Josh and the Shizen Style Team 🌸

P.S. Look around your space right now. Find one thing that's imperfect, worn, or damaged. Instead of seeing a flaw, see a story. That shift in perception? That's wabi-sabi beginning to work on you.