Creative I: Perspectives on Creativity:
Response Video Script
September 17, 2021
Leanord Koren’s Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, recounts the standardized definition of wabi-sabi as a beauty of things that are: (1) “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete,” (2) “modest and humble,” and (3) “unconventional” (7). For Koren, though, this doesn’t do justice to the Japanese aesthetic, which he relates to American anti-aesthetic movements of the “young, modern, creative soul: beat, punk, grunge.” (10). So, he writes to “get beyond the standard . . . to grasp . . . the holism of wabi-sabi” (11). In this spirit, let’s view wabi-sabi through one of these American anti-aesthetic movements, namely hip hop, and from within it, one figure seems particularly interesting, Kanye West.
Kanye West is both a hip-hop artist and successful fashion designer whose work with Adidas on Yeezy apparel and sneakers has a decidedly wabi-sabi flavor. For instance, take the Yeezy 350 Boost’s first colorway, the “Turtle Dove.” The outsole areas of the heel and forefoot are gashed open, exposing internal material, making it incomplete. The upper is made of knitted gray fabric adorned with uneven black stripes meant to evoke the pattern of a turtle dove’s feathers. The representation here is imperfect--blurred, asymmetrical, and random. The soft fabric is without any structure, form, or permanent shape, entirely modest in its simplicity. An outward facing seam stretches across the toe box, screaming unconventional construction as it both stands out against and blends into the shoe’s pattern. The 350’s design reflects its uniqueness, its statement of the beauty inherent in humility, nature, unpredictability, and individuality.
These design elements course through the entire Yeezy line, evolving as each season’s iterations release. The 350 Boost v2, for instance, features a swooping laceration-like stripe reminiscent of the purposeful glazing errors found in 14th century Japanese teaware (“History of Ideas”). The concept works, as Yeezy’s brand of wabi-sabi fashions repeatedly sell out and resell for prices well-above retail. As a design sentiment, wabi-sabi indeed speaks to the American youth as Koren suggests. From a creative standpoint, designers should take note of how synthesizing lesser understood concepts like wabi-sabi in aspects of various projects help to develop appreciation of cross-cultural aesthetics and universal ideals of beauty, while also generating a nice profit.
Perspectives on Creativity Assets
In Order of Appearance
Videos:
Surara, Yurara. “[4K] Wabi-Sabi Japan.” YouTube. May 29, 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tusbPd7oZ9Q&t=23s.
West, Kanye. “The New Workout Plan.” [Music Video]. YouTube. Dec. 4, 2009. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua61XY84gGg&t=48s
Flyer11. “HD Kanye West - Late Orchestration – Workout Plan.” YouTube. Jan. 8, 2009. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDOkQIMUpNA
O-GuS-T1. “Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Commercial.” YouTube. Dec. 21, 2020. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdYrk8k5pyw
De Vere, Stephen. “Turtle Dove Sings from a Dead Oak Branch.” YouTube. May 24, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eerXWh6j6_4.
DeeBall. “NBA ‘Michael Jordan Getting Dunked On Compilation.” YouTube. May 17, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2S0S4olquI.
JahlilTheSensei. “Kanye Fashion Influence: Anything Yeezy is Valuable.” Youtube. May 2, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM2mPCj3-Nw
Pardo, Brice. “Adidas Yeezy 350 Commercial (spec).” Youtube. Jan. 15, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FvUvIm2Kdk.
Netflix. “Inside Kanye West’s California Home.” My Next Guest with David Letterman. YouTube. June 4, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2QsStorhIw
Music:
Joshua Tree of Arts (JTOA). “Kanye West’s Amazing (Instrumental Remake).” YouTube. June 8, 2009. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XD2pTJYBKc.
Yung Noir. “The New Workout Plan-Kanye West Instrumental.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTQB1WrTbaI.
West, Kanye. “Facts.” Life of Pablo.
Ka-Ching [Sound Effect]. MyInstants.com. www.myinstants.com/instant/ka-ching/
Images:
Koren, Leanord. Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers [Cover Image]. Imperfect, 2008. Amazon. www.amazon.com/Wabi-Sabi-Artists-Designers-Poets-Philosophers/dp/0981484603.
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road [Cover Image]. Penguin, 1999. Originally Published 1957. www.amazon.com/Road-Jack-Kerouac/dp/0140283293/ref=asc_df_0140283293/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312034012774&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8563177417160685266&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010601&hvtargid=pla-487456133500&psc=1.
Vicious, Sid. “My Way” [Cover Image]. Cleopatra, 2021. Originally released 1978. Discogs.com. www.discogs.com/Sid-Vicious-My-Way/release/18140068.
“Kurt Cobain-Shades.” Abposters.com. www.abposters.com/posters/kurt-cobain-shades-v164.
Dee Street. Kanye West Instrumentals: Instrumentals for Kanye West Type Beats [Mixtape Cover Image]. Datpiff, May 27, 2017. www.datpiff.com/INSTRUMENTALS-MAFIA-AKA-Kanye-West-DEF-STREET-Kany-KANYE-WEST-Instrumentals-instrumentals-for-Kany-mixtape.846019.html.
MykolaPotter. “Ash glazed coffee or tea cup Chawan Matcha bowl Yunomi tea bowl Wabi Sabi Handmade ceramic Japanese style Tea or coffee cup Ready to ship.” Etsy.com. www.etsy.com/listing/999911150/ash-glazed-coffee-or-tea-cup-chawan?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=wabi+sabi+cup&ref=sr_gallery-1-24&frs=1.
