Note: an edited and better composed version of this is posted over at Medium.
I’ve been in a crafty mood lately. It’s probably safe to say I’m always in a crafty mood. I think I’ve finally figured out why.
I like balanced asymmetry and order in chaos. Noticing when these states occur and capturing them in art or photography, or creating things bring order to chaos in a satisfying way.
I Like Seeing Results
That’s the thing about crafting – results. I love seeing order brought from chaos, order within chaos, and balanced asymmetry.
It started recently with the rocked in culvert. Well, it started long ago, probably when I was born. But the most recent bout of craftiness urges started with this culvert.
I like to see the results of my work. Work that never comes to fruition, or never ends with a sense of balance is frustrating. Housekeeping is that sort of work. The house is rarely clean and orderly long enough to see the end result for more than a few minutes. And as soon as I glance another direction, I see the same job waiting again!
I would be a very bad production worker because of this unless I got to put on the finishing pieces. I have worked these sorts of jobs before, so I know that I don’t like it and when it comes right down to it, the lack of “finished result” satisfaction is why.
In those positions when I worked on specific projects (like the 245 Startup at Honeywell in 2002), I did get a sense of completion when we brought the unit online, even if I was only a small part of that project. My work contributed to a finished product that I was able to witness. I liked that.
Balanced Asymmetry
I like symmetry, but I like balanced asymmetry more. Symmetry by itself does nothing to spark my sense of wonder. Asymmetrical things without a balance to them just look chaotic and are unsatisfying.
Everything I really enjoying seeing in nature, like sunsets, moonrises, forest paths, etc. are all asymmetrical studies. The clouds that frame the moon look best when they’re asymmetrical. Sunbeams filtering down between limbs of a tree on an early morning are not equally distributed across the entire scene. If fact, the very non-uniformity in where and how they appear is what makes them so breathtaking.
Building a rock wall using native stone is an exercise in learning to balance in an asymmetrical way.
The whole is balanced. This is not one of my rock walls, by the way. This is an old one that’s been here on this earth for possibly longer than me.
The parts are not.
Order to Chaos
There are some who say it is not possible to have chaos and order at the same time.
I say you can. Sometimes.
A pile of rocks is a static sort of chaotic thing.
A pile of asymmetrical rocks even more so.
But when the chaotic tumble of asymmetrical rocks are stacked, sometimes an organized balance can be achieved. That is an example of bringing order to chaos.
Orderly Chaos
Orderly chaos is a different thing. Orderly chaos is a lot like asymmetrical balance. I also think whether something is chaotic or orderly depends on the viewer’s perspective.
To the person who just bumped into the hornet’s nest, the swarm of hornets attacking feels pretty chaotic.
But that swarm is actually very orderly, a whole chaotic mess of stinging insects all bent on achieving the same goal: to kill or run off an intruder.
I see order and chaos side-by-side and even occupying the same spaces all the time. A glance at the news is full of speculation fodder for this topic.
What seems like a chaotic world right now probably has a lot of order to it if we can back off far enough to view it from a distant perspective, both literally and figuratively.
Balanced asymmetry and orderly chaos in Crafty things
My latest creation is a dreamcatcher.
It’s pretty asymmetrical too, but is also balanced. The weaving is probably still chaotic in appearance to some, but there’s order in there now, in spite of the chaos that ensued before I was done with it.
It’s definitely asymmetrical. But the whole thing is balanced in spite of that.
Balanced Asymmetry.
Same deal with a website I’m creating. To someone viewing only the parts of this creation, it might seem terribly chaotic. It seems that way to me, too, sometimes.
But eventually all the parts start working together and it becomes yet another example of balanced asymmetry. And of order in chaos.
Things that are both Symmetrical and Asymmetrical at the Same Time
A lot of things probably fall into this category, but the one I see most often and notice happens with plants. Ginseng is a good example.
This goldenseal plant is balanced even though it is very asymmetrical.
On the vertical plane, it’s asymmetrical. However, if sliced horizontally, it is symmetrical.
Your Thoughts?
Have you noticed yourself attracted to more symmetrical things and only clear-cut order, or are you like me and fascinated with the balance between asymmetrical and ordered chaos?