kintsugi doesn't really apply to phone screens, sadly

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in" - Leonard Cohen

That's actually exactly how muscle grows. Theres damage, then there's repair, and the repair adds to the foundation.

I had a mug that I used religiously throughout university. A few months after I graduated my cat knocked it off the kitchen counter, I was disappointed but I had heard of kintsugi and so set out to repair it with this method, knowing that its coffee days were over. It acts as a symbol now as the coffee days of the mug are over just like the university journey has ended.

My autistic seven-year-old told me he wants to be good in school, but he doesn't know how. Then he asked me why his brain is broken, while crying his eyes out. Kintsugi helped me explain to him why he isn't bad and why I would not change him if I could. It helped.

I like to think the scars on a body, the scratches on my laptop, the occasional tear in an old book, they all give their object character. It is proof of existence. It is the symbols that convey the message that something has happened. You can have a nostalgic moment when you remember how it happened to something of your own. A brand new book is great for the obvious reasons, but the beat up paperback on your shelf is something you would probably never part with because of the stories you have given it. You can see a mark on something you aren't familiar with, and that sparks your curiosity. That starts the conversation. That is the beginning of the story. That is the cover of the book. That is the poster for the movie. That is the ten second preview before you buy the song.

I guess my cat really digs this Kintsugi thing.

This video really spoke to me, so thank you. When I was 17 an accident caused damage to my right eye. The retina was ruptured leaving a blind spot and distorting the rest of the vision. It also left Bowie-esque damage to the iris, leaving a lopsided ink spill-shaped pupil. At 17, I felt invincible. This showed me that I am breakable. At first this was hard to come to terms with, but now I like looking in the mirror at my ink spill eye. It reminds me that change happens, and that's ok.

"Kintsugi symbolizes the truth that repair requires transformation, that the pristine is less beautiful than the broken--and that the shape of us is impossible to see until its fractured, until a wound, like a crack, runs its length." What a gorgeous and artistic metaphor for life.

You do a good job of being thought-provoking without being pretentious.

Evan, this is poetic. I could re-watch this video dozens of times and get something new out of it every time. Thank you.

as a broken humain being myself i found this quite comforting.

Thank you so much. I am a mental health worker. I've been researching kintsugi recently as a way to help kids cope and confront trauma related issues. I will be guiding one of the kids I work with soon through a kintsugi project. Your video is extremely helpful. Know that it will be part of a legacy of healing. :)

I appreciate the "works cited". Too many videos on youtube provide no sources for the things they say.

i have cried hot heaving tears watching this. its helping me accept the broken state of some relationships in my life and how i need to consider that the pain and breakage in the relationships will always kind of be there and that that is ok, that we never really go back to before the harm and that is ok

As a foster parent, this is such a wonderful metaphor to share with my kids. The concept that healing from trauma can be beautiful and valuable is a major tenant of Trauma Informed Care. Just off the top of my head, the healing of these breaks is done with delicate attention, patience, and help from others. The pottery is mended with gold because it is valued and wanted to not only be functional but also expressive and representative of its worth. The breaks are still evident after mending, they may never go away, but the vessel is valued more for its beauty in repair. It may not be a perfect metaphor, but for kids who struggle with self worth and identity because of foster care (or any trauma really) this can be very helpful. Thank you!

"Repair requires transformation. The pristine is less beautiful than the broken. The shape of us is impossible to see until its fractured..until the wound, like a crack runs its length." - Beautiful and powerful. Thank you so much!

I had a rough childhood and adolescence and the idea of finding a new beauty in damage instead of mourning what was once pristine is so lovely.

This is by far my favorite video of yours that i've seen so far, as it relates to some trauma i'm in the process of recovering from. Thanks for sharing!

I am going through a broken heart, and this video helped me see my pain from a new perspective. Thank you for making me aware of the art of Kintsugi

Thank you! I have been struggling with loss and depression lately, and this video has greatly helped me put those losses into a different context.

Damn. That Hemmingway line is beautiful.

Totally knew you'd drop the mug in the end.

In my ignorance of Japan I have missed this amazing art and philosophy. I have embraced this as a pillar of what makes me before knowing about it. Is great to find a art that represents it.

"but she performed the art, Of kintsugi on my heart" ~A line from a nonexistent weeb song I just made up.

I enjoy your thoughtfulness and subjects so much! Thanks for another great video.

Absolutely stunning, before this I neverr knew Kintsugi exited and I can appreciate it as a wholesome craft now

I'm a new subscriber, but just want to say thank you for making this video-- as many others have said, it had a profound effect on me. I'm going through a lot right now and feel like I'm remaking myself from the inside out, and I have to remind myself that I shouldn't wait until I'm totally put back together to share who I am with the world-- that showing the process and even the painful history is a beautiful thing in itself.

you should really have more subs your work is truly something ... i really needed to hear this. I think its prevalent in everyones lives some how at one point we're broken and then sooner those scars can glorify and symbolize something significant. Rather than hiding it away like those things never happened ... cause i mean those bad things shape you for something more beautiful like kintsugi

Thank you for this Nerdwriter! Very insightful, valuable and vulnerable. I appreciate your channel greatly. =) keep writing, keep speaking. People listen to you.

Love the research & writing that goes into these videos. Makes for a thoughtful & entertaining video. Keep it up and you'll be a KZfaq hit in no time! ;)

This is just plain beautiful. Every pain and every damage end up becoming a better part of ourselves

The quality of your videos astound me and I feel privileged to experience them.

I'm writing a comic book where the main characters are so flawed that their issues don't get resolved due to extreme repression. But they realizes they are so caught up in their own issues to care about actually trying to change them. They just feel better as long as no one mentions them. Not gonna lie I saw this video and thought this was the perfect description for my characters. Seriously its dope what you do. And keep doing it!

OMG this channel and especially this video need more people to see them. I love when people analyse art, since I think I'm not that good at it :D

It is amazing how deep this art of the damaged plates and pots be can leave an impacts on the one's soul ,like ur life begin only after this face of agony ..u got yourself a fan

I've got nothing significant to add to the discussion here, but just want to say that this is a great video. Keep 'em coming!

This video has deep meanings that helps me embracing my flaws and the pain I suffered after losing my dad last 16 November ... I'v watched so many times God bless u , keep it up 👍

Among all the useless, mundane, illiterate, sensationalistic, lowest-common-denominator posts on the internet is your beautiful nugget on the sacredness of damage. Keep sharing your lovely insghts. You inspired me today, thanks.

As someone who has been hurt a lot in past relationships, to the point of feeling still broken long after they have ended... this video has given me a new perspective on myself. I have been broken, but I will put myself back together piece by piece, day by day, year by year. It will be a long time, maybe even a life time. But I have been broken, and that is okay. Because when I am put back together, I will be even better than I was before.

You have a great way of presenting this. Kintsugi is a beautiful art, and I would like to thank you for your beautiful expression of it.

I am nearly at the end of my degree and my major piece build in PMC came out of the kiln cracked yesterday. This technique you have highlighted and described so beautifully has saved my sanity... thank you so much

Ok, I am old and riddled with sin, but I found that to be very touching and beautiful. Thank you.

I really love this concept which debunks the concept of perfection...

This is one of my favourite videos yet, very nice work.

Your manner of speaking, the inflection, emotion, and the detailed explanation of this subject just won you a subscriber. Good job.

An interview confirmed that Kylo Ren's repaired mask in The Rise of Skywalker is based on kintsugi, which also says a lot about his character.

This channel is honestly my favourite, thank you for posting such interesting and thought provoking videos

Hemudu culture originated in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. I lived there from 2013-2015. Coleman McCarthy often quotes that Hemingway passage. Thanks for the reminder.

Love this story about Kintsugi. Can't help pointing out though that the embracing of brokenness isn't exactly common among Easterners today either, especially after our Westernization and consumerism began some decades ago. Appreciation in Kintsugi or wabi-sabi requires a lot of thoughts and examination to us in Asian cultures as well.

Bless you my child.

You have no Idea how timely and relevant this video is in my life in this moment right now. Chills ran up my spine watching this video as if every word you spoke was to me, thank you.

It always has baffled me that you don't have several hundred thousand subs if not a million. Means I get to feel all Indie and ahead of the curb though ;)

It makes me so happy when people put their sources in the description :D :D !!!!

New sub.... Your video was amazing! Completely learned something new.

What a beautiful and thoughtful essay. I love how you created an atmosphere of intelligence devoid of pretentiousness. Also give it up for the background music choice. Very nice, whomever is responsible for the selection. It felt almost spiritual in nature to me, and I like the way that the facts of Kintsugi merge with Mr. Nerdwriter1's tonal ambiance to deliver a message, "Everyone is damaged. Only by embracing the damage can one become beautiful again."

Who else came here in result of googling "kintsugi" after watching "The Man In The High Castle" S02E06 (when Juliana Crane mentiones kintsugi at about 36th minute)? ;)

I literally don’t comment anywhere in social media, but for some reason this video changed something in me, as much as loved the content I loved the way you put it! Thanks a lot...

I'm full kitsugi in my life...it's tough to embrace it.

I have finished watching this video with a huge smile on my face, I felt like brocken parts are not things to be ashamed of, overvaluing the pristine parts of us. Thank you, honestly, it felt great.

Amazing. You really spoke to me and during the process made me want to break things.

My girlfriend mentioned this to me when I was talking to her about how broken I felt. She melted my heart with this story and now I am working to try to accept the bad but move on to the good.

That cup is too close to the edge... it's bothering me. Either tip it over and Kintsugi it or move it away from the edge. Thank you Mr.Nerdwriter1. Sincerely, your friend that do not like things close to edges.

I guess that one of the important things in introducing a topic is to make it somewhat important to the listener, and what better way to do it than to connect the dots to the essence of life itself. I only imagine that it takes tremendous amount of work, but you make it seem so effortless, I'm not only fan of your work, but you as a human being. Great shit, BIG UP!

I knew he would break that cup! Knew it!

I was researching Kintsugi and found this fascinating and inspiring video. This Art of repairing pottery with gold and the understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken, gave me a lot of food for thought for a long time. It came up again this season as I was reading and reflecting on the Jewish story of Naomi and Ruth coming back to Bethlehem during the time of Juges in Israel's history, completely broke. Believing in a Creator made me think, that God beautifully redeems and brings the broken to be healed as Ruth a Moabite widow was finding a Jewish husband and gave birth to a boy named Obed who became the great great grandfather of David and 28 generations later Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 1, 5 + 6). One of Jesus' words came to mind when he said in Luke 19,10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" in my mind also meaning to heal the broken and they become transformed into some one most beautiful alive in Christ if they believe. Like Paul says it in 2. Cor 4 "let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. .... " So Kintsugi, a Japanese Art of beautiful repair of pottery made me think of God our Creator and Redeemer.

2015, but still find this video so meaningful. :) Thank you.

Like whoa. I can’t tell you how much I needed to hear this at this very moment. Thank you for making it.

3:06 he worked as a medic, and bones are stronger in the areas they are broken. This wouldn't apply to Kintsugi because the items aren't stronger where they are mended, are they? And isn't this about beauty, not stength? Anyway, nice video editing. I'm jealous of your skills.

You inspire me so much with your videos. Every word out of your mouth is full of passion and intent. You’re an amazing creator

I like the video but I think it's dangerous to apply this idea to human beings, as Hemingway does in the quote you provided. While it is true that everyone will get damaged in some way during life, we should not assume that they are better or stronger after the fact. Just like the people purposely breaking their pottery, I think this leads to people attempting to search for ways to "damage themselves." Maybe not physically, but they might search for a way that they are oppressed or depressed or different than everyone else. It basically gives people an incentive to be insulted and upset, so that they might use that as a way they have been damaged by life.

I'm working on a multi-year project on resiliency in ministry. When I discovered Kintsugi I knew it would become my working definition of resiliency. Thanks for making this video. I know I'll make use of it in future presentations.

I am not hurt, I am beautiful. (a thing I said, after my surgery)

Marvellous analysis connecting trauma and memory studies to kintsugi and one of my favourite Hemingway quotes, "The world breaks everyone ..." Baffling you don't more subscribers! Keep up the thought-provoking work - it's a valuable contribution.

what is the name of the song?

You've chosen very beautiful words to explain this astonishing art to us. Thank you so much for that. Our world with limited recourses needs some more of that philosophy. To chose to cherish and repair something, rather than replace and dump it.

This is the reason why I love watching anime and read manga, because you have this type of thinking in it. Mangas and Animes aren't some stupid kids shows, there are many animes & mangas that have deep meanings like this one.

This is definitely one of the most beautiful content i've seen. Not only is it original and unique but also thought provoking. Keep up the amazing work.

Snook in some anti-creationism there.

Your video has given me a new outlook on the scars or breakages of my life. Must give thanks to you for the video and also Simon and Martina for tweeting it or I would not have come across the profound message contained within.

What's the song you use in the background of so many of your videos? I really like it!

objectively your best video, still come back to it after years

Nice shirt, wasn't that mine? Great video as always.

In a time where so much content is produced, it´s quite refreshing to see something so meaningful as the content you produce. Chapeau!

See: Kylo’s mask in The Rise of Skywalker.

Fantastic perspective, and relevant through the ages, on both the macro and very personal levels. Thanks for taking the time to post this

I wish there was a button stronger than "like", for this video.

What an amazing way to look at broken "things" in your life! I have decided not to revert back to my old, comfortable self that I was in teens. My 20s broke me in ways I couldn't even talk about, but I know how to move forward now. So, thanks!

i am goin bald...and i feel its just too silly a sufferin to share...but its really sad...its like puberty again... kintsugi...:(

this is one of the most beautiful philosophies I have ever encountered, thank you

I bet if someone else tried to explain this they'd use cheesy and overused ideas and words, you did this so beautifully and uniquely. Wonderful.

I'm writing a novel whose main character practices the art of Kintsugi. This video has been very helpful as a jumping off point in informing my writing. Thank you!

Powerful thoughts to think through as I heal from the hurt of a painful breakup. Thank you

Really enjoying these videos. Reminds me a lot of the weekly vlogs from a year or so ago. Keep them coming, I'll definitely be watching!

Beautiful episode Nerdwriter! What you said hit home with me as my thinking has usually been (in my western, wasteful way of thinking) "this is broken, it must be thrown out." I actually teared up during the Hemingway quote. Well done, sir.

Your dialog as well as your video presentation helps me understand and gives me more vocabulary to learn. I thank you once again. I'm probably going to watch all of your videos today.

Man, I just love you. You speak about things that everyone should know about, thank you for that.

I actually shed a tear during this video. Thank you so much.

I've watched and re-watched dozens and dozens of your videos since I joined your channel. This is certainly one of my favourites and perhaps the one I find myself returning to most. Very well done.

I've found you recently, and you are my favourite channel on KZfaq. All the videos I've watched left me so amazed and inspired, I can't even express it. Thank you so much! I mostly enjoy your art-related videos, they're incredible. Keep up the great work!