On Turning Soft and Lovely
Some of the greatest quotes are truisms, this one from American Neo-Conceptualist artist, Jenny Holzer, who believes that language is art. If this motivational quote speaks to you, evokes an emotion, or if you have an instant reaction to it and want to somehow respond or incorporate it into your life (whether you know how to or not) then this truism has reached you in a way that it was intended.
On the surface Holzer's truism seems to speak mostly to the female population, evoking images of pretty, elegant women who are soft and gentle, always with a smile, always calm, always happy with the simple lovely things in life, with enough energy for everyone. And though that's not actually what it means, it sort of does in a simple way.
Being soft and lovely is something I try to strive for every day. I hope I'm not alone in the fact that I really don't feel like I often project this part of myself. My hair gets messy and frizzy and overall, I'm sometimes far from soft looking, and I certainly don't always dress oh so pretty. Calm gentle energy? Always? Pffft. I get mad and frustrated with myself and the world around me sometimes and put on my sour face when I am, not a very soft look, I assure you. While I love to laugh and smile, so often I do it internally, while externally I exude a "leave me alone I'm focused" attitude. I'm more tired than I want to be which comes off, I'm sure, as lazy, not lovely. Shall I go on?
The point is, all that soft and lovely lies underneath the disheveled mess. In all of us. It's in our core. And while we don't always realize it, it's always there and can, most of the time, be threaded in most things we do; even in the most mundane of our moments. What we all need to be doing is bring it out and let it show in our actions. Like on America's Next Top Model, when Tyra tells the girls to bring out their "fierce", that's what she really means, to portray that inner beautiful, strong self. Being soft and lovely includes the strength of our selves.
Sure there are plenty of times when you shouldn't be soft and lovely, not totally. But even during those times, there is a way to go about it that is much softer on the self, that holds onto that core and threads out into how we act. I'm pretty sure we'll smile more, feel happier, and probably be more confident; which all goes a long way to feeling the full beauty of turning soft and lovely every chance we get.
While Jenny Holzer used a box office backdrop for her truism, I've used the backdrop of one the most soft and lovely, loud and boisterous creatures I've ever met: Albert, resident peacock at Los Poblanos Inn and Farm, in all his loveliness.