Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in ...
~Leonard Cohen ("Anthem")
Wabi-sabi is more than an aesthetic. It's a way of seeing, living, believing. Wabi-sabi is defined as the art of finding beauty in imperfection, of seeing beauty in the ordinary. It is a Japanese philosophy of perception that couples the two words wabi (rustic simplicity, freshness, quietness) and sabi (beauty or serenity that comes with age, patina). Wabi-sabi is a way of letting go and redefining ideals. I believe in this quality in art.
I remind my students, when they strive for perfection, that the root word of "perfect" doesn't mean 'without flaw'; it means 'complete'. I begin the school year by sharing the story of the cracked pot ( http://www.sacinandanaswami.com/en/s1a38/wisdom-stories/the-cracked-water-pot.html ) - as it sets the tone for joy in process and acceptance of the journey's unknown. Sometimes I ask my students to take one of their prints (from a series of 8) and add flaws to it (tear it, mark over it, fold it) - an exercise in letting go. Some students struggle with this while others are set free by this exercise. Modeling a wabi-sabi attitude has set a tone in the LSS art room that says: there really are no mistakes, nothing is perfect, it's okay to let go and see where the making takes you.
In his book Wabi-Sabi Simple, Richard R. Powell said: "Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect." These are difficult truths for younger students, indeed - for older students sometimes! But introducing students to the wabi-sabi way of thinking & seeing is enriching on so many levels. It is the key to the beginning of authentic experience. Here are a few resources I use to introduce Wabi-Sabi to my students:
Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers - Leonard Koren
Wabi-Sabi Simple - Richard R. Powell
Wabi-Sabi - Mark Reibstein & Ed Young (illustrator)
http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm