Moms and Dads

Golden Lining: Jodi Sta. Maria on The Beauty of Kintsugi

by Kevyn Gohu
March 18, 2024

Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold. In some areas of Japan, they even use silver or platinum since the word ‘kin‘ is derived from ‘kinzoku‘ (金属), which also means metal.

The art of joining two pieces with urushi lacquer (made from an Urushi tree) mixed with powdered metal also reflects a spiritual Japanese philosophy—one that inspired celebrity mom Jodi Sta. Maria, which she shared on her Instagram.

1. “There is beauty in brokenness.”

We all have had encounters in our lifetime that have “broken” us. Whether it’s a failed business proposal, loss of a friend, or even a failed relationship, these are not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Sometimes, they happen multiple times and leave us with so many cracks.

But the beauty of these cracks, in the art of Kintsugi, is that there is beauty in imperfections. There is room for something even more beautiful.

2. “We become more beautiful in loving hands.”

For Jodi, “God is a skillful Kintsugi artist.” Then who or what is the urushi lacquer and gold mix that holds us together?

Sometimes, these can be little moments that we’ve initially ignored. Other times, they are friends who we have not met for a long time because we were occupied by the things we lost. It’s here we find out that those imperfections are purposive in a way—making room for someone or something that has “loving hands.”

3. Imperfections are not necessarily ugly.

One of the principles of Kintsugi is to see the beauty in imperfection. As Jodi mended the blue and white ceramic plate with a lining of gold, it may at first not look right. It may not even feel right. Like most imperfections, it takes time to accept.

But the longer we look at them, we start to see these imperfections as part of their charm—the same way our imperfections and imperfect experiences make us human.

4. Fixing and healing take time.

“We find ourselves profoundly broken that we question ourselves if we’ll ever get fixed,” Jodi adds in her post.

We often associate getting “fixed” as things returning to normal. But that isn’t always the case. Some events, whether small or life-changing, cause cracks in our daily lives. And just like a piece of broken ceramic, it’s not something that just sticks itself back together overnight. The emotions we are left with include a state of brokenness that temporarily fills the gap, leaving our spirits like broken plates.

It’s only when we choose to “fix” or “fill the gap with something” that we can start healing or fixing ourselves.

5. With the right tools, we can truly fix ourselves.

Kintsugi, being a delicate art, has its preferred tools that can handle both the lacquer and the powdered metal. It’s just like how we are—some methods or tools that fix other people may not work for us. But once we do find the tools and methods that suit us, we now have a chance to become “something new and beautiful.”

But these tools don’t randomly fall out of the sky. As Jodi says, many of these tools are “God-given.”

Our imperfections as parents don’t mean that we’ve completely messed up!

Especially when old wounds resurface—whether via Fate or design—we try to hide it because it reminds us of a time when things could have been. With the knowledge we have now, a part of us mourns for the thing we couldn’t save or love in time.

But as Time goes on, the events that happened after will soon lead us to seek or become our own Kintsugi artists, thus allowing us to embrace the little gold streak found in our cracks.