Mindful Dirt Balls

Still taken from video by Jenna Close and Jon Held.

Unexpected Transformations and the Art of Hikaru Dorodango

This was once a pile of dirt.

I came across this post on thisiscolossal that blew me away. It describes an entire Japanese art form I've never heard of before. It's called hikaru dorodango (which translates to "shiny dumpling"). 

What you're looking at above is a shiny perfect sphere...of dirt. Hikaru Dorodango is the art of making dirt into extremely fragile, incredibly beautiful sculptures. It's an art of process, not outcome. Can I say that again?

It's the making of the spheres, not how long they last or the outcome, that is meant to be focused on.

In other words, hikaru dorodango is a mindfulness practice. I find this an inspiring and stunning testament to the act of creation. Check out the dorodangos on the shelf:

Hours of work have gone into these simple globes. Still taken from video by Jenna Close and Jon Held.

Hours of work have gone into these simple globes.

And yet, if someone were to turn on a strong hose, they would all disappear. But in the process of adding fine layer after layer of dirt, something is created, and it's not just the perfect ball. It's a sense of peace, calm, and connection with the earth.

Creativity is part of the core foundation of Beautiful Voyager, just like meeting other people is. The act of creation, and appreciation of creation, is a natural vaccine against stress. Use it when you can. I find just looking at these shapes—these rounded shiny globes made by human hands—very soothing. I hope you do too.

See a very cool video of Bruce Gardner's process of creating dorodangos here.   

Originally published March 28, 2016. Updated February 18, 2017.