It is hard for me to describe how deeply this essay is resonating with me right now. I've saved it because I know I'll need to re-visit it often. 2025 has been a very difficult year so far. Money trouble, car trouble, etc. I know those are all indifferents, but I am struggling with how those things are limiting my photography trips. Creativity has been tough, to say the least.
I was superficially familiar with the concept of wabi sabi, but haven't considered it very much in a very long time. The way you relate it to Stoicism here is essentially a paradigm shift for me, opening up a realm of possibility. To be able to show the philosophy through visual representation! If I've done that before, it was purely accidental.
I don't know that I will be able to accomplish wabi sabi Stoic photography, but is absolutely something I will be thinking about and striving towards. I can't thank you enough for showing this way to me!
Sorry to hear you're going through tough times. I'm glad this essay spoke to you and is helping you find a new perspective. A wise person told me (quite recently, actually) that constraints can often be a catalyst for creativity. They force you to adopt creative solutions that you otherwise would never have even been looking for. This idea has been very helpful for me in working within my own life constraints--instead of chafing against them, trying to turn them to my advantage. Anyway, here's hoping you will find a clear path and all the inspiration you need!
Brittany, Thank you for the thoughtful post. As a scientist and a former practicing microbiologist, the most fundamental reason I became a scientist and specifically, a microbiologist was because of the general idea of Wabi sabi--the appreciation of the minute, microscopic, beautiful and the mysterious and unknown. In a sense, a scientist searching for the source of the hidden beauty and function, i.e., that small organisms can have a significant impact--both good and bad--on all life forms. As you and the Stoics have stated so eloquently, we are trained to like, revel in, admire a contrived beauty such as perfect symmetry or asymmetry in fine art and architecture, hand-crafted objets d'art, refinements of the highest order, but in my opinion, this is just acting on our "Nature" and strong desire for ordering things so we can understand them better. This requires significant effort, or, as us bioscientists like to say, "bioenergy inputs" whether physical or mental or both, to achieve the final effect. "Nature" does this in a seemingly chaotic, "natural" way and gets at what I think the Stoics were focusing on when they said to act in harmony with Nature. So, yes, I believe Wabi sabi does appear to be in complete harmony with Stoic thinking and the Stoic way of life.
Thank you for these insights, Andrew. Your paragraph reads like one of Marcus Aurelius' meditations! I hope you continue to do work in this area. If you'd ever like to submit a piece of art or writing on this topic, just send me a message.
Brittany mini thanks for this thoughtful article. I have thought for a number of years that we should be developing contemporary art that stimulates discussion around Buddhist and stoic ideas. I must admit I am a bit bored with much of contempory art that in my view just tries to either shock, offend or is really identity politics pretending to be art. A lot of this is highly subjective and often unskilful. It fails to grasp that art complements language and should in my view express deep truths that we cannot verbalise yet appeals to our soul. I have heard this called estatic art. Wabi sabi stocism ticks the boxes for all the reasons you have stated. I love the idea of paring art back to the essentials. I think it was jasper John's who said artistd should 'avoid everything you can avoid then do what is unavoidable. surrender and find your own voice'. Love it!
Thank you! I agree with you about much contemporary art. Most of it pushes boundaries but leaves the viewer cold and uninspired. Now we just need to find artists who can fulfill this vision of a Stoic/wabi sabi fusion. I've also been thinking and reading a lot about craft, and I think there is a lot of crossover between art and craft in everyday objects. More on that in the future!
Thanks for writing about the convergence between eastern and Western philosophies. In my own reading, I’ve noted what you described in many other instances as well. Wabi Sabi is actually an amalgam of two separate concepts, Wabi which I think of as the grace of aging and Sabi, which can be thought of as rustic simplicity. Perhaps even more to the point of impermanence is the Japanese concept of “mono no aware” which has been a guiding force in my photography over the past couple of years. Another favorite one is “yugen” which means mysterious beauty. I see that in the kind of use of negative space employed and Michael Kenna’s work. The Japanese say that those those of us in the west will never understand. There is aesthetic concepts, but I beg to differ.
Thanks for the observations! Absolutely, there are quite a few concepts we can (and probably should) borrow from the Japanese. It's really interesting to me that they blend ethics and aesthetics so seamlessly...that's something I want to look into more. I don't think Western culture prioritizes these concepts, but surely they are accessible to those of us who want to understand.
As I wander around my neighborhood, I see small areas- a front step, or a patio, a porch light-where someone has taken the time to add a touch of color or aesthetic interest, with little thought of attention… your essay captures that spirit beautifully- thank you
Thank you Brittany for your article about the connection between Stoicism and Wabi Sabi. I recently spoke with my 11 and 12 year old woodwork students about the elements of Wabi Sabi when we built rustic three leg stools together. Maybe they will ponder the conversations we had in the lesson in future years.
The thoughts you expressed in your essay are certainly a helpful way of looking at the world, one that cultivates a calm and compassionate state of mind. Thanks again for the good work you do.
Thank you, Shane. Lately I have been thinking and reading a lot about craft and the connections to art and life. I hope to publish more in that vein soon. Would love to hear your thoughts on how a craft like woodworking expresses something fundamental to human life! (Also where do you teach? I would love for my boys to take a woodworking class but there is nothing near us.)
I have a few morning rituals, which I thoroughly enjoy. In addition to reading my daily books, I normally read a bit of meditations or a letter from Seneca. I am relatively new to Substack, but have added this as the last part of my morning routine. I scan and see if any of the philosophically minded bloggers I know posted something new. Your article came up this morning and as I read it I started to feel a calm excitement as it resonated so much.
As I reflected on it at the end, I started to think about another part of my daily routine. After my shower as I am finishing up, I spend time as I look in the mirror thinking about my own impermanence as I see my age progressing. I’ve always had somewhat of an odd obsession with impermanence, so the stoic practice of momento mori never troubled me. I have a small bit of ashes from my father and grandmother in my meditation room. Every once in a while I will open up one of the small containers and hold a bone fragment while I meditate. I never seen this as macabre and have always found it as a profound meditation thinking about the day that I will be dust and bone fragments.
However, interestingly, when I read your previous post about Vanitas painting, it occurred to me that I’ve never enjoyed those paintings for some reason. But the concept of Wabi Sabi as you described immediately resonated. I was not familiar with the term in the past, but have always gravitated to that type of art. After finishing your article today, I realized I want to be a wabi sabi piece of art, seriously I want my character to imbue these attributes.
I really like that you have picked up on this. It mirrors my own exploration and experience of art and stoicism. I tend to explore the concept through the creation of poetry or did when I had the wherewithal to write.
It is hard for me to describe how deeply this essay is resonating with me right now. I've saved it because I know I'll need to re-visit it often. 2025 has been a very difficult year so far. Money trouble, car trouble, etc. I know those are all indifferents, but I am struggling with how those things are limiting my photography trips. Creativity has been tough, to say the least.
I was superficially familiar with the concept of wabi sabi, but haven't considered it very much in a very long time. The way you relate it to Stoicism here is essentially a paradigm shift for me, opening up a realm of possibility. To be able to show the philosophy through visual representation! If I've done that before, it was purely accidental.
I don't know that I will be able to accomplish wabi sabi Stoic photography, but is absolutely something I will be thinking about and striving towards. I can't thank you enough for showing this way to me!
Sorry to hear you're going through tough times. I'm glad this essay spoke to you and is helping you find a new perspective. A wise person told me (quite recently, actually) that constraints can often be a catalyst for creativity. They force you to adopt creative solutions that you otherwise would never have even been looking for. This idea has been very helpful for me in working within my own life constraints--instead of chafing against them, trying to turn them to my advantage. Anyway, here's hoping you will find a clear path and all the inspiration you need!
Thanks Brittany! I'm trying to maintain that mindset. This idea of Stoic wabi sabi is giving me the burn of inspiration for the first time in a while!
Brittany, Thank you for the thoughtful post. As a scientist and a former practicing microbiologist, the most fundamental reason I became a scientist and specifically, a microbiologist was because of the general idea of Wabi sabi--the appreciation of the minute, microscopic, beautiful and the mysterious and unknown. In a sense, a scientist searching for the source of the hidden beauty and function, i.e., that small organisms can have a significant impact--both good and bad--on all life forms. As you and the Stoics have stated so eloquently, we are trained to like, revel in, admire a contrived beauty such as perfect symmetry or asymmetry in fine art and architecture, hand-crafted objets d'art, refinements of the highest order, but in my opinion, this is just acting on our "Nature" and strong desire for ordering things so we can understand them better. This requires significant effort, or, as us bioscientists like to say, "bioenergy inputs" whether physical or mental or both, to achieve the final effect. "Nature" does this in a seemingly chaotic, "natural" way and gets at what I think the Stoics were focusing on when they said to act in harmony with Nature. So, yes, I believe Wabi sabi does appear to be in complete harmony with Stoic thinking and the Stoic way of life.
Thank you for these insights, Andrew. Your paragraph reads like one of Marcus Aurelius' meditations! I hope you continue to do work in this area. If you'd ever like to submit a piece of art or writing on this topic, just send me a message.
Brittany mini thanks for this thoughtful article. I have thought for a number of years that we should be developing contemporary art that stimulates discussion around Buddhist and stoic ideas. I must admit I am a bit bored with much of contempory art that in my view just tries to either shock, offend or is really identity politics pretending to be art. A lot of this is highly subjective and often unskilful. It fails to grasp that art complements language and should in my view express deep truths that we cannot verbalise yet appeals to our soul. I have heard this called estatic art. Wabi sabi stocism ticks the boxes for all the reasons you have stated. I love the idea of paring art back to the essentials. I think it was jasper John's who said artistd should 'avoid everything you can avoid then do what is unavoidable. surrender and find your own voice'. Love it!
Thank you! I agree with you about much contemporary art. Most of it pushes boundaries but leaves the viewer cold and uninspired. Now we just need to find artists who can fulfill this vision of a Stoic/wabi sabi fusion. I've also been thinking and reading a lot about craft, and I think there is a lot of crossover between art and craft in everyday objects. More on that in the future!
Awesome concept for an article. I just finished reading a book on Wabi Sabi. Love the crossover 🙏🏻
Thank you! I really think there is great potential here.
Thanks for writing about the convergence between eastern and Western philosophies. In my own reading, I’ve noted what you described in many other instances as well. Wabi Sabi is actually an amalgam of two separate concepts, Wabi which I think of as the grace of aging and Sabi, which can be thought of as rustic simplicity. Perhaps even more to the point of impermanence is the Japanese concept of “mono no aware” which has been a guiding force in my photography over the past couple of years. Another favorite one is “yugen” which means mysterious beauty. I see that in the kind of use of negative space employed and Michael Kenna’s work. The Japanese say that those those of us in the west will never understand. There is aesthetic concepts, but I beg to differ.
Thanks for the observations! Absolutely, there are quite a few concepts we can (and probably should) borrow from the Japanese. It's really interesting to me that they blend ethics and aesthetics so seamlessly...that's something I want to look into more. I don't think Western culture prioritizes these concepts, but surely they are accessible to those of us who want to understand.
As I wander around my neighborhood, I see small areas- a front step, or a patio, a porch light-where someone has taken the time to add a touch of color or aesthetic interest, with little thought of attention… your essay captures that spirit beautifully- thank you
Beautiful observation, thank you!
Thank you Brittany for the wonderful both simple and beautiful. Made me smile and smarter.
Thank you Brittany for your article about the connection between Stoicism and Wabi Sabi. I recently spoke with my 11 and 12 year old woodwork students about the elements of Wabi Sabi when we built rustic three leg stools together. Maybe they will ponder the conversations we had in the lesson in future years.
The thoughts you expressed in your essay are certainly a helpful way of looking at the world, one that cultivates a calm and compassionate state of mind. Thanks again for the good work you do.
Thank you, Shane. Lately I have been thinking and reading a lot about craft and the connections to art and life. I hope to publish more in that vein soon. Would love to hear your thoughts on how a craft like woodworking expresses something fundamental to human life! (Also where do you teach? I would love for my boys to take a woodworking class but there is nothing near us.)
I have a few morning rituals, which I thoroughly enjoy. In addition to reading my daily books, I normally read a bit of meditations or a letter from Seneca. I am relatively new to Substack, but have added this as the last part of my morning routine. I scan and see if any of the philosophically minded bloggers I know posted something new. Your article came up this morning and as I read it I started to feel a calm excitement as it resonated so much.
As I reflected on it at the end, I started to think about another part of my daily routine. After my shower as I am finishing up, I spend time as I look in the mirror thinking about my own impermanence as I see my age progressing. I’ve always had somewhat of an odd obsession with impermanence, so the stoic practice of momento mori never troubled me. I have a small bit of ashes from my father and grandmother in my meditation room. Every once in a while I will open up one of the small containers and hold a bone fragment while I meditate. I never seen this as macabre and have always found it as a profound meditation thinking about the day that I will be dust and bone fragments.
However, interestingly, when I read your previous post about Vanitas painting, it occurred to me that I’ve never enjoyed those paintings for some reason. But the concept of Wabi Sabi as you described immediately resonated. I was not familiar with the term in the past, but have always gravitated to that type of art. After finishing your article today, I realized I want to be a wabi sabi piece of art, seriously I want my character to imbue these attributes.
Long live impermanence! Thank you :-)
I love it--long live impermanence, the only thing that never changes!
The concept of Stoic aesthetics is new and wonderful to me. Thank you for writing this
Beautiful post about authentic and natural beauty
I really like that you have picked up on this. It mirrors my own exploration and experience of art and stoicism. I tend to explore the concept through the creation of poetry or did when I had the wherewithal to write.
from the wood stove
a memory of grandmas perfect
sponge cake
Thanks, Sean! I like the poetry--both sweet and visceral.