Scars have Stories
Date Published: 10/20/2020
Isabella was seven years old when she got pinned under a car in the suburbs of New Jersey. This tragic accident was the beginning of the rest of her life. With no way to cover or hide the scars, she would have to face a life in which she felt imprisoned, cursed by what had happened in her childhood.
It wasn’t until college when taking a pottery class, that she learned about the art of Kintsugi. The Japanese art that mends broken pottery with lacquer and gold or silver. Kintsugi as a philosophy teaches us how we can heal, mend from brokenness, and how our scars make us stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable than before broken, just like the Kintsugi dishes.
In 2019 Isabella was interviewed by BBC where she talks about the facial scarring and she shows, with make-up, her Kintsugi inspired interpretation of who she became from this experience.
“It took many years for me to accept myself for who I was, and it took even longer to act upon it. My scars are visible, like those of kintsugi pottery. Yours may not be. But you take them with you wherever you go. You decide whether they’re a burden or a blessing.†Isabella told Wendy Brandes in their interview.
I met Isabella in NYC. Something pulled me towards her. I believe it was her inner light, her gold because my soul sees and senses the gold and the light of Kintsugi women. There is something about their desire to survive and thrive which makes them so very special.
I had an event in NYC where I spoke in front of an intimate group of 27 women. I spoke about healing, about kintsugi and invited Isabella to get up and share some words. There were indeed beautiful and touching words and there were many tears because the reality is that some of Isabella’s scars are visible, but most of them are not and those scars we actually share and have in common. Each one of us experience situations in our lives that marked us in a way that has filled our journey with struggle and pain. Like Isabella said, “We take our scars with us wherever we go, but it is up to us to decide if they are a burden or a blessingâ€. I reacted to my adversity by deciding to be a voice for love and acceptance. I decided to be a conduit for joy and mutual respect. I made this decision from the depths of my scars, from my open heart. It feels better than sit in pity, hiding from humanity, and not living the life I deserve.
I invite you to become Kintsugi. If your scars are stopping, you from living, fill them with gold, and show off as the badges of honor that they are. Use your mess as your message and give purpose to your pain. Live to the fullest because there is only one of you!
––––––––––––––––––––
Model: Isabella Santa Maria @_isabellasm_
Photo: Bettina Avila @bettinaavila
Dress: Mikah Fashion @mikahfashion
About the Author: Miriam Grunhaus
After working for 25 years as a marketer with expertise in Ethics and Compliance, Miriam Grunhaus, a native of Brazil, entered the world of Fashion Design. Miriam’s commitment is to the women she serves. After learning about Kintsugi (the Japanese art of mending pottery) and feeling empowered by its message, Miriam decided that her brand will be a source of hope and support for women.
Mikah’s mission is to empower women to accept themselves with all of their imperfections and limitations. We want women to “wear their scars†with pride; to understand that each of us is a unique work in progress. We want women to know that they are beautiful, not despite their circumstances, but because of them. We want to empower women to own their struggles – and in doing so – to own their strength.
Miriam’s first book, Heal with Gold which is available here: http://bit.ly/HealwithGold
The book has been endorsed by Tal Ben Shahar, Ph.D. Dr. Tal Ben Shahar is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Happier, and founder of the Happiness Studies Academy. Coming out by the end of 2020 is the extension of the book, a course on healing with a Kintsugi spin.
Fashion
www.mikahfashion.com
Book and Course
www.healwithgold.com www.HealwithGold.com/book
It wasn’t until college when taking a pottery class, that she learned about the art of Kintsugi. The Japanese art that mends broken pottery with lacquer and gold or silver. Kintsugi as a philosophy teaches us how we can heal, mend from brokenness, and how our scars make us stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable than before broken, just like the Kintsugi dishes.
In 2019 Isabella was interviewed by BBC where she talks about the facial scarring and she shows, with make-up, her Kintsugi inspired interpretation of who she became from this experience.
“It took many years for me to accept myself for who I was, and it took even longer to act upon it. My scars are visible, like those of kintsugi pottery. Yours may not be. But you take them with you wherever you go. You decide whether they’re a burden or a blessing.†Isabella told Wendy Brandes in their interview.
I met Isabella in NYC. Something pulled me towards her. I believe it was her inner light, her gold because my soul sees and senses the gold and the light of Kintsugi women. There is something about their desire to survive and thrive which makes them so very special.
I had an event in NYC where I spoke in front of an intimate group of 27 women. I spoke about healing, about kintsugi and invited Isabella to get up and share some words. There were indeed beautiful and touching words and there were many tears because the reality is that some of Isabella’s scars are visible, but most of them are not and those scars we actually share and have in common. Each one of us experience situations in our lives that marked us in a way that has filled our journey with struggle and pain. Like Isabella said, “We take our scars with us wherever we go, but it is up to us to decide if they are a burden or a blessingâ€. I reacted to my adversity by deciding to be a voice for love and acceptance. I decided to be a conduit for joy and mutual respect. I made this decision from the depths of my scars, from my open heart. It feels better than sit in pity, hiding from humanity, and not living the life I deserve.
I invite you to become Kintsugi. If your scars are stopping, you from living, fill them with gold, and show off as the badges of honor that they are. Use your mess as your message and give purpose to your pain. Live to the fullest because there is only one of you!
––––––––––––––––––––
Model: Isabella Santa Maria @_isabellasm_
Photo: Bettina Avila @bettinaavila
Dress: Mikah Fashion @mikahfashion
About the Author: Miriam Grunhaus
After working for 25 years as a marketer with expertise in Ethics and Compliance, Miriam Grunhaus, a native of Brazil, entered the world of Fashion Design. Miriam’s commitment is to the women she serves. After learning about Kintsugi (the Japanese art of mending pottery) and feeling empowered by its message, Miriam decided that her brand will be a source of hope and support for women.
Mikah’s mission is to empower women to accept themselves with all of their imperfections and limitations. We want women to “wear their scars†with pride; to understand that each of us is a unique work in progress. We want women to know that they are beautiful, not despite their circumstances, but because of them. We want to empower women to own their struggles – and in doing so – to own their strength.
Miriam’s first book, Heal with Gold which is available here: http://bit.ly/HealwithGold
The book has been endorsed by Tal Ben Shahar, Ph.D. Dr. Tal Ben Shahar is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Happier, and founder of the Happiness Studies Academy. Coming out by the end of 2020 is the extension of the book, a course on healing with a Kintsugi spin.
Fashion
www.mikahfashion.com
Book and Course
www.healwithgold.com www.HealwithGold.com/book
