The Quote That Shaped My Life Forever

“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”

I don’t know who said it first. Some say Plato, some say Shakespeare. Not the point anyway. I am not a quote guy, but this is an exception. If I was able to form one principle up until this age, this is it. The base meaning is that beauty is subjective, and if you don’t find something beautiful, you should respect the fact that someone else does.

I took it much more literally and it was the most serious piece of guidance that I have stood by since. Besides accepting differences in taste, it always meant that finding the beauty in a thing or in a person is my responsibility and my duty as a receiver if I want to have the luxury of judging the subject in front of me.

Because of this saying alone, I was able to eradicate my shallowness almost entirely. I am still shallow, like everyone else, but since then everything has more light to it. I was able to see beyond the beauty standards and appreciate less-conforming beauty. You can’t believe how much more beautiful a woman is once you understand how to look at her. Of course, this principle extends to more than romantic attraction. Paintings, photos and songs with a style or an aesthetic so different from what I know cease to be a challenge; they become fulfilling experiences. I am grateful that I was able to learn this lesson in my early teens because it made me open to experiences that I still remember with joy.

This also extends beyond aesthetics. After you dismantle this barrier altogether, you will have a natural desire to know everything on a deeper level. Partners, friends, art, a subject, an event. I have grown so much as an artist everytime I found time to learn about a subject that a friend of mine thought was extremely important or interesting. It made me a well rounded person.

A shorter post for the beginning. Check out my X (https://x.com/Tim_Michael_) or Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/timmichaelwopo.bsky.social) for daily six words stories! I will have the second post ready by Sunday morning.