ABOUT

According to legend, the 15th-century Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favorite tea bowl one day and sent it out for repair. It came back held together with metal clasps that disfigured the bowl and failed to make it watertight. He asked his artisans to mend it, and the art of kintsugi was born. 

The word kintsugi derives from the Japanese words “kin” and “tsugi,” which together translate to “golden joinery.” The process begins by gathering the broken pieces and joining them with an adhesive. Once the repair has dried and been sanded, the cracks are accentuated with multiple coats of lacquer and dusted with a metallic powder that is traditionally gold. More than just a craft technique, kintsugi reflects the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces imperfection and impermanence. Rather than hiding the damage, kintsugi makes it visible and transforms it into part of the object’s history and beauty.

Gold-Dusted Living draws its name and inspiration from that same practice and philosophy.

As an independent online publication, Gold-Dusted Living brings context to what is happening in the world and explores how we can move through it with curiosity, care, and joy. It covers politics, history, justice, travel, culture, food, books, wellness, and beauty.

Through deeply researched articles, personal stories rooted in travel, and thoughtful recommendations, Gold-Dusted Living looks beyond the surface to uncover the histories and systems shaping the present. It centers the voices and experiences of the global majority, especially those too often ignored, distorted, or erased.

As in kintsugi, the fractures are not hidden here. Rather, they are the story.

Rakhee Bhatt
Founder + Writer

I’ve worked professionally as a writer and editor for over 20 years, but I’ve been drawn to storytelling since I was a child. Curiosity has always been my compass. It’s what led me to the page, to far-off places, and ultimately back to myself.

One of the greatest influences on my path is Anthony Bourdain. His storytelling was poetic, humble, empathetic, and disarmingly honest. Tony planted the dream of traveling the world as a digital nomad in my heart. In the summer of 2022, that dream finally came to fruition. I let go of everything familiar and embarked on a journey across multiple countries that continues today.

On my travels, I have seen breathtaking places, shared meals that felt sacred, met people whose presence felt like home, and found beauty in the rituals, generosity, and spirit of others. With that wonder came a reckoning. I peeled away the narratives I had been taught to accept as truth. Most precious of all, I learned to trust my intuition.

I created Gold-Dusted Living in the spirit of kintsugi as a way of life, where fracture becomes form. This space was born from my reclamation. Like so many women of the global majority, I was never meant to survive this world whole or even in parts. But I did. What carried me was the goodness I found in the people, places, and moments that reminded me I could also be that kind of love and softness for myself. That became my gold dusting.

Want to connect? Email me at rakhee@golddustedliving.com.