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The Kintsugi of Collage

CollageCenter • Feb 23, 2016

Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer and gold dust. Kintsugi literally means golden joinery. It comes from the idea that broken pieces shouldn’t be simply tossed out. It recognizes that there’s still value in the brokenness and with great care, the shattered pieces can be put back together to create something even more valuable. Something that’s more beautiful for having been broken.


It’s a practice and perspective at the heart of the Collage team. We know that life rarely goes as expected. That each of us has areas in life where we’ve been broken, where our plans seem shattered and beyond repair. Sometimes that comes as a result of an unexpected pregnancy, or a sexual health issue. At other times, it’s the brokenness felt over a past abortion decision.


Because each of us at Collage has faced brokenness, we know it’s possible to pick up those pieces. We know it’s worth putting those shattered pieces back together and celebrating the beauty.


The story goes that the practice of Kintsugi came about when a Japanese shogun broke his favorite tea bowl. He sent it away for repair and it came back with metal staples holding the ceramic pieces together. Was it together? Well technically. But this wasn’t acceptable for the shogun, who requested that it be repaired again. This time great care was taken and it was repaired with lacquer and gold. This process didn’t disguise the damage but made something beautiful out of it.


Just trying to put the pieces back together wasn’t enough. It takes someone who understands not only the beauty of the original piece but someone who can look at the brokenness and see the beauty yet to be discovered.


At Collage, we recognize the beauty and value of each and every one of us, even in our brokenness. We love to help our clients see that beauty and begin to put the pieces back together with hope and confidence. We specialize in our own version of Kintsugi – of creating beauty from the unexpected.



If you need someone to talk to or want to schedule an appointment for a pregnancy or STD test, please give us a call, we’d love to help.

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