Your Secret Beauty

“You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself.”

Did you know that you have never ACTUALLY seen yourself, other than a reflection and photographs? Scientists have said that if you were to walk past your identical self on the street, you wouldn't even recognize yourself. Why? Because we all have a skewed image of ourselves that no one else sees. We look at ourselves every day, and most (if not all) of us find things we don't like. A scar, an extra roll where we don't want it, bags under the eyes, etc. But you know what someone ELSE sees? Your sweet smile, the way your eyes light up when you talk about something or someone you love, the way you do your hair in that messy bun that they can’t seem to figure out themselves, etc.

Years ago, I came across this video on YouTube by Dove and let me tell you, it was truly an eye opener! A sketch artist meets with individuals who first describe themselves, then a stranger describes that person to the same sketch artist. Once finished, the sketch artist shows both portraits to the individual and the differences were shocking! Take a few minutes to watch the video at the bottom, it will truly change the way you look at yourself and how you may think you’re seen by others.

As women, we hardly ever want what we are. If we have straight hair, we want it curly. If we're pale, we want to be tan. If we're curvy, we want to be thin. But do you know what makes a woman the most beautiful? A woman who accepts herself for all of her beauty, "flaws" and all, with a smile and a glow of happiness. We ALL deserve to see ourselves for the beauty everyone else sees but we never seem to find. Don’t allow yourself to be in your own way when it comes to documenting your life, your family, and those you love.

The things I hear the most from those who want to book a portrait session are “I need to lose some weight first” or “I’ll call you in a month or two after I’ve been able to go to the gym”. Then life happens, people get busy, and before you know it 6 months have gone by, or a year, or maybe even more! The kids are older, you have family who moved out of state, or the one that breaks my heart most is when a client loses someone they wanted to have portraits of. Folks, time is fleeting and life waits for no one. When your children are looking back on the photos of you, they won’t care that Mom weighed more than she did in her 20’s, or that her hair wasn’t perfect. They’ll be happy to have your photo to cherish for the rest of their lives.

So stop speaking to yourselves in ways you would never allow anyone else to speak to you. Pretty is not your price to live in this world, because you are your very own kind of beautiful!