What’s Beautiful

~ wildchildsdressingupbox

I believe my view of beauty has changed.  I remember asking my grandmother, when I was very young, if she thought I was beautiful.  Her reply: ‘not in the traditional sense, no’.  And its funny how a single sentence can affect you: for much of my early life I believed I was not beautiful and consequently, not lovable.

But now this belief is slowly beginning to shift.  I have spent my life appreciating beauty in weird and wonderful places – I have sought it out in the extraordinary.  I have turned away from a ‘traditional sense’ of beauty – most likely inspired by those very words that brought me down as a child.  I wanted like any small person, to be loved and thought beautiful by those people I loved.

Now I see the beauty in my strangeness.  I am on the wonk in funny places.  But its all good.  Beauty is in the process of creation.  When I see my art completed (whatever it’s form), I appreciate the beauty of the creator.  It’s always a little imperfect, but its part of who I am.  I am what I create, so that makes me beautiful.  I’m hoping a little lovable, too!

Published by wildchildsdressingupbox

33 thoughts on “What’s Beautiful”

  1. It is amazing the smallest of words and sentences can change our current views and memories from the past. I am like you I am different and I like my differences…I am glad we aren’t all alike. How boring would that be?

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  6. This is beautiful! I am especially in love with the last paragraph, and even more with “on the wonk in funny places”. What a fabulous celebration of individuality!

    I, too, have a love of strange beauty. I have a fondness for delapidated barns, rusty metal, and general decay. I find meaning in the broken and discarded.

    Francis Bacon said “There is no beauty which has no strangeness to its proportion.”

    Here’s to finding beauty in unexpected places!

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  12. I was fortunate in the beauty department – thanks for my parent’s good genes, but my sister was even more so. The message from my childhood was, “You’re L’s little sister? Oh my god, she is so beautiful.” Leaving me to suppose I was chopped liver in comparison. At 59 years old, I still here it every now and again (a lot from relatives) “She’s the pretty one.” It is funny how the words affect us.
    We are all beautiful in our unique ways.

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    1. Ach the older sister thing I know so well. Mine was the ‘good’, the ‘nice’ one, and the one with the drop dead Italian genes which seem to have bypassed me. Except for my splendid roman nose that is! I used to mind a lot more – but now, I guess I’m coming to terms with being the rainbow sheep of the family!

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  13. I’m on your side. Wow, how much effect one little sentence can have. And don’t we know it – and still repeat the same mistake (well I know I do – and then feel really bad).
    About wonky. I love wonky. Wonky people and wonky art. I love it in others, and try to love it for myself. Most of my art is wonky. Probably because I have a hard time sitting down for long – these days – and can’t be bothered to do long hours necessary for the ‘neat’ art work. Well, sometimes I can and then I love that too.
    Hope to read more of your stories!

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    1. Ok I got this far and with all these lovely comments with a poker face and now I’m just overwhelmed. I feel like I just found my people, for sure. The relief to have someone cheer on the wonk is amazing! I’m going to have a happy little cry now!! Thank you for being on my side xx

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  14. God, I love wonk. Like, seriously. We have so many examples of traditional beauty everywhere we look. It’s WONK that really gets to me, makes me pause and take it in.

    I also wanted to just take the hand of that little girl and tell her that she is *so* beautiful. Inside & out. Wonderfully made. ❤

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