Wabi Sabi

SHOWING ME THE WAY, by KAT MOSER

"Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect." 

These are the three truths of the Japanese concept Wabi-Sabi, "an aesthetic philosophy centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection." (James Tocchio, founder Casual Photophile). It is this philosophy about art that changed the direction of my photographic process.

I first discovered this process while participating in a workshop taught by Joyce Tenneson in San Miguel, Mexico. At the time, I had backed myself into a very frustrating corner working endlessly for perfection. Which In creative work never works. From struggling for perfection, disillusionment was setting in, tears flowing, and I was left feeling a deep sense of failure. 

This was in the pre-digital era when light tables and slides were used. In my agitated state, I accidentally slammed the light table, and two slides flipped onto themselves. Under the loupe's lens (a small magnifying glass used by jewelers and watchmakers), the two slides layered and fortuitously formed a magical beauty in physical imperfection. A fellow student remarked," very Wabi Sabi!" who then recommended Leonard Koren's book, 'Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets, and Philosophers'. It is here I discovered the meaning of the title and Koren's philosophy, Wabi Sabi, "is a beauty of things imperfect."

This became my new creative "north star." I would no longer seek perfection in my photos; instead, I began to welcome distortion and happy accidents while embracing the fact my best works are those that express feeling. A profound realization that imperfection is more fascinating and beautiful than being perfect. And so is life…