IT’S OKAY, NOT TO BE OKAY

“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.”

- Ernest Hemingway, Farewell to Arms

A bowl falls and shatters at your feet.
What do you do?
Do you sweep up the broken pieces and toss them in the trash?
Or do you attempt to put the pieces back together and make it whole again?

The first time I saw a kintsugi bowl, all I could focus on was the golden cracks that spread across the bowl like lightning. Scars that told a story of how this bowl was never abandoned, but made stronger because of it. It celebrated imperfection, reminding me that I should celebrate my own.

For the longest time, I have wanted to translate this idea into portraiture. The opportunity arose when I connected and shared the idea with Joleen Rose, dancer, community leader, and an amazing MUA. We both wanted to create something wildly different from what we have been working on for the past year (a lot of commercial work), and something that challenged us and fed our souls. This project did just that.

Joleen did an amazing job creating a look inspired by kintsugi ceramics, especially on darker skin tones. Ivy and Stephanie were our models, and they did an incredible job at personifying the feelings of kintsugi.

Every person is a mosaic, built by different pieces to make us who we are. This includes all the anger, pain, and misery that we have experienced within our lifetime. It is within these broken parts of ourselves that we will find even more strength. Celebrate yourself. It’s okay, not to be okay.

Special thanks to Sophia for assisting us on this project, and Better Space for the studio space.