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Worn In: Birthday Asks for 38 and 39

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Each year, for my birthday, I ask the people in my life for something made, not bought as a contribution to my durational collective creativity project.

Last year, my 38th, slipped by without an ask. So this year, I have two.

The 38th ask: a mend #

Inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese craft of mending broken pottery with gold. Show me something you broke or wore through, repaired, and love more for the damage.

The cracked mug glued back together. The jacket with the patch. Send a photo and a line: how it broke, how you fixed it. I’ll gather them into a small gallery of second lives.

The 39th ask: a word you carry #

Tell me a word or short phrase you’ve carried for years and can’t put down. It can be in any language. Maybe it is a family saying. A line from a book or a grandparent. An untranslatable word that doesn’t have a parallel in English. Send the words, and where they came from, and I’ll compile into a shared phrasebook.

How to send #

Reply by email with both. A photo of your mend, a word you carry. Late arrivals are, this year especially, entirely in keeping with the spirit.

Some things grow more valuable as they break. That which we choose to carry says a lot about who we are. A mend and a word. A sentence is plenty for each. Thank you in advance, I can’t wait to see what you’ve broken and mended, and what you carry.

Previous Years #

Curious about previous years?