August 2024 - Ma: The Japanese Concept of Negative Space
🔲 When you want less– less stuff, less to do, less to think about– you end up with a greater appreciation for what is left. Both in terms of what is there, and what is not.
“What is there” are mainly things you choose to celebrate, like clothes you enjoy wearing, a space that looks and works beautifully, and tasks that will really make a difference in your life.
“What is not there” turns into pockets of calm in your home, calendar, and most importantly, brain. It’s only when we remove what isn’t serving us that we can fully appreciate the space and lightness of “nothing.”
Imagine carrying a heavy box, the moment you put it down, you become acutely aware of its absence, in a good way. This is what I mean by appreciating what is not there. This feeling is often fleeting but when you practice this appreciation for the lightness that comes from leaving space, it can change your life.
There’s something so joyous and luxurious about noticing and being intentional about leaving space. I don’t know about you, but a cabinet that was once a cabinet I ignored becomes a source of happiness once I’ve removed all excess from it. I guess this is why minimalism appeals so much to me, it allows me to enjoy the beauty of space.
This month’s newsletter is centered around beauty and space:
- Ma: the Japanese concept of negative space
- The importance of beauty
- Celebrating negative space
Something by me
In Japanese culture, "Ma'' is the space between elements. It illustrates how negative space creates balance within the whole. Without it, there is no rhythm or harmony. It's about appreciating the silence between sounds, the empty space in a room, or the pause in a conversation.
This idea invites us to find beauty and purpose in emptiness, understanding that space allows for growth, reflection, and peace. "Ma" is deeply rooted in various aspects of Japanese culture, from architecture and interior design to music and traditional arts like tea ceremonies and flower arranging.
Something by someone else
Title: Do Design | Why beauty is key to everything - Alan Moore
Description: “So much passes us by, unnoticed. We multi-task, switch between screens, work faster. When was the last time you paused to consider a beautifully-made object or stunning natural landscape? Yet this is when our spirits lift and our soul is restored.
Designer Alan Moore invites us to rethink not only what we produce – whether it’s a website, a handmade chair, or a business – but how and why. With examples from Apple, Yeo Valley and Blitz Motorcycles, we are encouraged to ask: is it useful and considered. Is it a thing of beauty?”
Why I like it: You’ve probably seen these “Do” books in gift shops, they are small books, each centered around a single topic, meant to motivate or inspire. This one caught my eye because I’m a designer but as I leafed through it, I realized it eloquently describes something I’ve been trying to put into words for a long time: the importance of beauty.
I love it when things work well and “do the job,” but things have to look good too. To me, form and function matter equally, which might be a divisive thing to say in a world where caring about aesthetics is considered superficial. This little book backs me up though, that’s why I like it. If you ever see it in a gift shop, take a moment to leaf through it and you’ll re-appreciate the beauty of both the natural and designed world.
Something by you
This month, I invite you to intentionally enjoy beauty through space.
It can be anything from making music and focusing on the silence between sounds, to cooking a meal and pausing between bites to notice the tapering off of flavors and the growing anticipation for the next bite, to leaving equal amounts of space between each hanger in your wardrobe, or even decluttering a storage bin and celebrating the lightness that radiates from the space available inside.
It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you, just enjoy what is not there.
Refine updates: Behind the scenes
Remember how last month I was playing with the idea of adding a module on “unplugging” to the course on digital organization? Well, it’s up! If you’ve already bought the course you might have noticed that it’s been added to the end of the course as a bonus module.
This new module teaches you my 5 step process for creating a healthier balance between you and social media. You can use it to quit social media completely, but it’s primarily meant to help you control how much time you spend online and how to control what you see if you do want to spend time online.
