Kintsugi (金継ぎ?) (Japanese: golden joinery) or Kintsukuroi (金繕い?) (Japanese: golden repair) is the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer resin dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum a method similar to the maki-e technique. As a philosophy it speaks to breakage and repair becoming part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. - Wikipedia
Earlier this year during a Spring storm, our sign hanging outside the studio fell and split in two. We quickly set out to "correct" the matter by purchasing a new wood round and spending a few hours priming both sides. After that our white circle remained in the closet for several months. During this time we both worked with the realization that we each had an individual path we needed to take. For awhile, we weren't sure how it would work. The need to be a fully present and authentic person in the world, while working in partnership, felt confusing. How could we have one united front if we were both wanting different things as well as what we had created at Nectar? What we discovered after some heart-felt talks and lots of painting is that the only thing that needed to change was the idea of what being in a business partnership meant. We realized that growing on our own path while moving toward the same goal for the studio felt stronger than trying to morph into something that wasn't fully representative of either one of us.
The work that happens at Nectar is deep and potent, not only for those who come to paint, but for us as well. It's this work that led us to the idea of mending our broken sign.
We each worked on half of the sign, writing intentions for ourselves and for the studio.
After some wood glue and a night of rest with some bungee cords, we have our sign back. Stronger from what was once viewed as an imperfection.
Our sign now hangs as a reminder for us every time we arrive at the studio. Our cracks are not something to fix or try to hide, but rather an invitation to grow and make friends with what we feel is broken, ultimately making us stronger and whole.
Whether you paint with us on a regular basis, have only painted once, or come to our website from time to time, you are helping to grow this community and we are grateful.
Thanks and Love,
Steph and Jen
Steph and Jen
