Perfectly Imperfect trail - Wabi Sabi

Tree canopy with leaves of red and orange.

Please click orange play button or listen in browser

If you want to see the embedded content you need to accept Targeting Cookies. To do this, click on the cookie icon in the bottom left of the screen, then toggle Targeting Cookies and Confirm My Choices.

Perfectly Imperfect trail - Wabi Sabi

Download Wabi Sabi PDF

Wabi Sabi

A famous Japanese aesthetic rooted in Zen Buddhism. It appreciates imperfection, impermanence, the transience of life, and appreciates simplicity and understated beauty in the everyday.

An ephemeral palette

Autumn is a vivid reminder of the ephemeral beauty of nature. Deciduous plants create a subtly changing landscape day by day: even leaves that appear green may be revealing hidden hues...

Leaves contain chlorophyll, a green pigment which absorbs sunlight for growth. In autumn, chlorophyll is broken down to reveal a kaleidoscope of pigments. Xanthophylls and carotenoids provide yellow and gold hues. Anthocyanins (responsible for reds and purples) are specifically produced in autumn and occur in only around 10% of temperate tree species.