Wabi ... The Beginning of Wabi Creations

I still have my t-shirt in my bottom drawer  It is faded and shrunk from many washings.  It must be at least 25 years old. 

I was speaking at an American Health Lawyers convention in New Orleans.  It was 1993.  Following my presentation, my husband, Dan, and I found "Mike's on the Avenue" on the infamous St. Charles streetcar line for dinner.  Upon arrival at the restaurant, I was struck by the open space with white walls, trees with little white lights and black and white art everywhere.  We were seated and I quickly noticed that our waiter - and all of the other waiters - were wearing white, crisply starched shirts and brightly colored, art-designed silk ties which represented the only color to be seen in the entire dining room.  I was so taken with the design. 

Our menu was delightful, a fusion of Asian and Southwest cuisine, and we learned that the owner/chef, Michael Fennelly, once lived and studied in Japan.  He later returned to the United States and owned and served as head chef of the SantaCafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Now, thank goodness, he was in New Orleans, crossing our paths.   

As dinner progressed, I noticed the tables were being serviced by men and women who were also uniformly dressed in black slacks and short sleeved t-shirts that had four bold, capitalized letters across the front - WABI.  I was curious to learn more about this odd collection of letters so I asked one of the servers the question and she promised to have "Mike" stop by our table before the end of our meal to explain.  I was intrigued. 

After dessert, we met "Mike" who stated that he was aware of my interest in the WABI t-shirts.  I held my breath as he began to tell his story of cooking and traveling and his introduction to Zen.  He also described how he came to appreciate and understand the true meaning of "Wabi" which, in his own words, meant "perfection through spontaneous imperfection." 

I left the restaurant that night with my WABI t-shirt and Michael Fennelly's cookbook, East Meets Southwest - Innovative Cuisine from Santa Cafe,   When I opened the cookbook later at our hotel, I noted that the Fennelly had handwritten his very own "Wabi - perfection through spontaneous imperfection" inscription inside the front cover.   It was then that I became truly connected to a new word, to a new concept, to a new principle of living, that would begin to weave my personal, professional and artistic endeavors together in a new way.  Yes, it was a moment of renewal and recreation for me. 

Today, the t-shirt holds a sacred place at the bottom of my fourth dresser drawer down.  The cookbook remains a part of my collection in the cabinet and most importantly, the term WABI now serves as the essence of my artistic business, Wabi Creations, LLC, through which I create handbags, wall and table art and other works that color our world.   

Over the years, through my work and practice in creating beauty, I continue to learn that our lives - whether as persons, professionals or artists - are filled with errors, mistakes, misgivings and other imperfections, all of which provide us with incredible learnings that can only make us that much more perfect at the end of the day.  For this, I am very thankful and yes, I continue to learn the importance of celebrating our imperfections everyday. 

WABI.  Wabi Creations.  Trust the journey.