My creativity advent calendar 2024: Day 24.
An advent calendar usually stops on Christmas Day but many of us are already thinking about what 2025 will bring. With the world changing rapidly and so many people feeling fearful about the future it’s a good time to think about how our creativity has got us through previous bad times and how much stronger we are as a result.
Nothing illustrates this so dramatically as Kintsugi, the 15th-Century practice of repairing things that are broken with no attempt to hide the damage. Kintsugi, means “to join with gold”: the wounds are literally illuminated, enhancing the original.
Imagine how it would feel to embrace the inevitable imperfections in our lives, whether in appearance, character or actions, and welcome the process that leads us to find opportunities not just to repair but to enhance and improve the whole.
Imagine if that process helps us to recognise and respect the inherent value in other people and appreciate the potential that we all carry.
The idea that the process of repairing adds value tells us we can always begin anew… not perfect but different and with more to offer each other than before.
My wish for us all in 2025 is that we come to it strengthened, repaired and illuminated where we’ve been damaged, and with a renewed purpose to make the world a better place for all of us.
If we want to change the story of the human race in the 21st century, we have to change the stories we tell ourselves.
I’m looking forward to seeing some beautiful repair work in 2025!
