japanese

I’ve always had a compulsion to rid my closet of excess materials–clothing that has never been worn, books that have never been read, and papers that don’t provide any value – emotional, informational, or otherwise. While friends and family continued to collect clutter, I remained baffled at how they could sleep at night with messy bedrooms, kitchen cupboards so full they couldn't close, and desk drawers stuffed with random gadgets and trinkets that would never be touched again. Over the years, I believed myself to be the odd one out, forever plagued with a compulsion to clean.

It’s hard to deny, as lilacs bust out, that stuffing a handful of fragrant flowers in a vase is super-springtime-satisfying. I’m a sucker for a fistful of lily of the valley, myself. But, as spring blossoms into summer and flowers flash unique colors and shapes, why not consider a more simplistic and intentional arrangement? Why not try your hand at ikebana, the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement?