topic: [[Creating]] people: #people/gracemark created: 2024-01-07 *The beauty of blank space.* This reminds me of [[remove to gain]], and how most often we plan to **add** things to our lives to make progress. It's kind of like [[be like water]], a swiftly flowing current has eddies, areas of stillness within the protection of rocks. A river cannot exist that only flows. ##### what is it? According to japanesegardencraft.com [Understanding Zen Garden Patterns And Raked Sand Rhythms](https://japanesegardencraft.com/understanding-zen-garden-patterns-and-raked-sand-rhythms/)"Yohaku-no-bi is a principle of traditional [Japanese aesthetics](https://japanesegardencraft.com/the-role-of-wabi-sabi-in-achieving-japanese-garden-aesthetics/) that can be roughly translated as “the beauty of blank space”. In Zen gardens, this principle manifests in the empty spaces left between the rocks and raked sand patterns, amplifying the feelings of tranquility and calmness. Just like the silence between the notes in music, these quiet spaces speak volumes in their offering of tranquil reflection." ##### why does it matter? We imagine we will be happier, more fulfilled, more alive if we are full and live in gluttony, more is better. But a counter-aesthetic is the Japanese approach, and other views that less is more, empty is beauty, the space gives meaning to the object. ##### What would the opposite argument be? Except in a vacuum, there is no blank space. Our perceptions are what creates the sensation of empty. A fully blank tablet is meaningless, what is the right balance for the system? tags: #note/idea | #on/design | #on/zen ##### Sources: Show’, ‘The Ezra Klein. (2024, January 5). Opinion | Tired? Distracted? Burned Out? Listen to This. _The New York Times_. [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-gloria-mark.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-gloria-mark.html) https://japanesegardencraft.com/understanding-zen-garden-patterns-and-raked-sand-rhythms/