Stronger in the Broken Places

This bowl is an example of the Japanese art of kintsugi. I think it has something to teach us about economic development marketing. Kintsugi is an art form that takes broken things and instead of trying to make invisible repairs, highlights the repairs in gold, making something even more beautiful and unique.  People who want new opportunities for their communities and the people who live there are a lot like families.  They may talk smack about each other and to each other, but they try to show the outside world a shiny perfect facade.  The truth is, though, that when there are cracks in something and you try to smooth them over and pretend they aren’t there, it is rarely successful. Even if you are successful, you will only make something that looks like it came off an assembly line, so it will hardly be memorable.  These days, no one will believe there are no cracks in your community, but they can be moved by the artful way you fix them.