white belt

I believe that when one engages in any act of creation, one ought pay attention to every possible detail one can.  Weaving together consideration of functionality, aesthetic quality, and symbolic value can require strict focus and effort, but, to me, it is what makes any artifact well-crafted and beautiful.

For the first pair of nunchucks I made, I attempted to integrate a number of considerations.  As it was the first pair I made, I did not apply stain to the surface.  The thought here was that this reflected the same thought behind the first belt one receives in martial arts being a white belt.  It is pure, clean, representing a blank slate.

I also decided that, as my first creation, I ought offer it as a gift to another.  The person to whom I gave this pair was my martial arts master.  In this sense, I felt it to be an expression of gratitude for all the instruction and care given to me by my master, and to show the development I have undergone as her student, further showing the progress for which I was expressing thanks.

Having decided this, I decided upon what to carve upon each stick of the weapon.  On one, I carved the initials of the school founded by my master, "TTF."  On the other, I carved the Korean hangul for "Taekwondo," the art imparted to students of that school.  These carvings being connected symbolizes the inseparabilty of the one from the other, and the power resultant from their connection.