There's just something awkward about being an artist that most people can't understand and it's so difficult to explain. I was sitting on a picnic table with my friend - both of us are female and heterosexual. I was watching her gesture as she spoke about something she cared deeply about, and one of the movements she made with her hand was captivating me. It was beautiful. I wondered if I should say anything about it. How I could explain that it was completely asexual, make her feel comfortable about my saying something so out of the ordinary? I was just captivated by the beauty of her hands. I wanted to capture it on film in perfect lighting so I could show people just what it is that made my friend beautiful. I was overcome with a desire to make other people see where that beauty lies, in a movement, a motion, a gesture.
It's not the first time I've had this experience, but this was a landmark. It was the last time I'm going to keep silent. I'm going to start telling women in detail just why is is that they're beautiful. For some it's their hands, or the healthy muscles in their legs - a still creepier thing perhaps to try and explain to a good friend who is probably self-conscious about these things. Their collarbone, the slight nubs of their spine that can be seen through a thinner T-shirt. Sometimes these things are so beautiful.
I'm going to start telling men the same thing. When something they do is beautiful - not even sexy or hot - just beautiful because it shows the loveliness of the human body. They deserve to know it, too, in today's world.
I'll say it every time, because I hope to make a difference, and someday maybe someone will see that same beauty in me as I move, and it will be a beauty to be captivated by.
