Stronger
- roseartgraphix
- Nov 27, 2025
- 3 min read
A guided reflection inspired by my artwork: Stronger (Kintsugi)
This artwork and reflection explore the idea that healing isn’t about going back to who you were.
It’s about becoming someone deeper and more grounded because of what you’ve lived through.
Kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, teaches that cracks don’t erase value.
They become part of the story.
Part of the strength.
Part of the beauty.
This piece speaks to anyone who has ever tried to “look fine” while carrying experiences that changed them.
Instead of hiding your cracks, what if you treated them as proof of everything you survived?
We’re taught early to hide the parts of ourselves that look damaged.
Be polite.
Be composed.
Be fine.
Don’t show too much.
Don’t bother anyone.
Don’t reveal the things you’re still working through.
So we patch ourselves quietly.
We smooth the surface.
We pretend we were never hurt at all.
But healing doesn’t work that way.
The Kintsugi reference
Kintsugi repairs broken pottery with gold.
Not to cover the break, but to make it visible.
To say: the break happened - and the object is still whole.
Still useful.
Still beautiful.
Maybe even more meaningful now!
It’s a mindset shift.
• Damage isn’t failure
• Scars are part of the design
• Wholeness includes the moments that cracked you
• Healing doesn’t mean pretending it never hurt
Kintsugi doesn’t say, “Nothing happened.”
It says, “Something happened.
I lived through it.
And I’m different now.”
Not weaker.
Stronger!
You Don’t Need To Be Who You Were Before
There’s a lot of pressure to “bounce back.”
Back to normal.
Back to calm.
Back to the person you were before the stress, heartbreak, disappointment, or loss.
But you can’t go back.
And you don’t have to.
You’re not supposed to erase the parts that changed you.
You’re supposed to understand them.
Integrate them.
Grow from them.
Healing is not a rewind button.
It’s a forward process.
The Real Question
Instead of trying to look unbroken, what if you allowed yourself to shine differently?
Not polished.
Not perfect.
Just honest.
And strong in a new way!
Because your past isn’t something to hide.
It’s part of what makes you solid - and human.
Reflective Questions:
What if your scars were the most meaningful part of you?
• How could your imperfections be a source of strength instead of shame?
• What part of your story deserves gold instead of hiding?
• If you let yourself shine in the places you once broke, what might change?
• How can you honor the version of you that kept going, even when things cracked?
About My Artwork - Symbolism and Themes
Kintsugi Influence
This piece is inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi.
Gold fills every crack, following the exact places where a break would have happened.
The gold lines aren’t random.
They mark the places where a person’s emotional history lives.
• They highlight experience
• They frame the story
• They treat scars as part of identity, not proof of damage
It asks:
What if we treated our emotional cracks the same way?
Her Expression
Her hair is pulled into a high, tight bun.
It shows control.
Composure.
Someone who keeps herself together even when others don’t.
The sharp lines in the hair reflect tension building under the surface.
The Hair Sticks
Her eyes are closed for a reason.
She isn’t avoiding the world - she’s grounding herself.
There’s calmness, confidence, and a quiet acceptance.
She doesn’t hide her history.
She carries it in her skin.
And she glows because of it.
The Glow in the Cracks
The soft, warm light inside the cracks represents:
• strength gained from hardship
• the truth you can’t erase
• the wisdom you carry
• the beauty of becoming someone new
The cracks are not violent or harsh.
They’re gentle - but clear.
They show where life reshaped her.
The Overall Message
Healing isn’t erasure.
Healing is transformation.
You break.
You mend.
And something deeper emerges.
Not the same person.
A stronger one.
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