We spend our lives focused on objects, sounds, and actions—the tangible elements that demand our attention. Yet some of the most profound beauty and meaning emerges from what isn’t there: the pause between musical notes, the emptiness in a ceramic bowl, the silence after a meaningful question. This is the power of negative space, an ancient principle that continues to shape art, design, and even our daily lives. In visual art, negative space—the empty areas around and between subjects—is never truly passive. It defines boundaries, creates balance, and often communicates as powerfully as the subjects themselves. Consider the elegant simplicity of a Zen garden, where raked gravel represents water flowing…