Ruth Asawa’s life was anything but uneventful yet her philosophy of the “integration of creative labour within daily life” allowed her to create art every day, wherever she was, with whatever material was on hand and under any circumstances. She saw artistic value in non-artistic objects such as juice bottles, wire tags on produce and newspapers and any conversation or routine task could spark a creative idea that she would pursue.

“It's important to learn how to use your small bits of time. All those begin to count up. It's not the long amounts of time you have that are important. you should learn how to use your snatches of time when they are given to you.”

She embodied her philosophy daily. As her daughter, Aiko Cuneo, recalled: “We always saw her making art, it was part of her everyday existence. I never thought of her making art as a separate activity. To us, she wasn’t working. We didn’t have to be quiet so she could concentrate. Her art-making space was always in our house.”

A few examples of how Asawa applied her philosophy:

Drawing every day
She drew every day. It was not the drawing that mattered, but rather the practice of practicing and focusing ;

Testing found materials
She used readily found materials. She explored the possibilities of materials that one can find anywhere (such as paper, wire and persimmon stems);

Involving family
She made her kids and family a part of her creative process, encouraging and incorporating their input into her work;

Working from anywhere and everywhere
She worked in any environment and did not require special conditions, equipment or even silence.