Sometimes when you walk in the field in the early fall mornings, the millions of spider webs, usually hidden, become highlighted by the dew. Maybe you have been lucky enough to see and appreciate this amazing sight, these webs glowing in the morning sunshine.
I often think of them when I contemplate Making Beauty. I think of what I take for granted in the beautiful, but hidden, parts of my world.
Making Beauty is about the way you look at the world. It is about your attitude about everything you do, everyday.
It is not about the newest make-up trend, or how to look like you have fuller lips. It is not about the perfect garden or always having a manicured lawn. It goes beyond the concept of looking beautiful or making art.
I live in rural Kansas in the US, where the western edge of the Eastern Hardwood Forest meets the eastern edge of the Prairie, and where familiar images of beauty are more hidden than in more traditional or familiar beautiful places. My part of the world is often referred to as “flyover country,” as though there is nothing much here to see or do.
Locals say it takes a sophisticated traveler to appreciate the beauty of Kansas. The beauty here can be obvious, like the orange prairie grasses in the fall, or the gnarly burls on the Osage Orange trees, or the sunsets colored by the agricultural dust in the air. At the same time, the beauty here is not so obvious. Much of the life on the prairie is underground in the deep roots of the grasses, which can reach 14 feet down into the earth. To me, this hidden beauty, that I can only sense, is breathtaking.
My language is not precise, and that’s because I am really talking about creating and noticing my beautiful life in the broadest sense of the word. I think of my focus on “Making Beauty” as a kind of shorthand that helps me to grab ahold of it every day, and continue to expand its definition.
Beauty from Pain
Making Beauty began for me with the quirky art quilts I started to craft 13 years ago. These quilts were born from grief I had no other outlet for. My younger brother had just died, and I could not find a way to work with my grief. One sleepless night, I started to play with fabric. The light was poor and I had no idea what colors I was choosing, but I simply let my emotions create whatever they needed to create.
Those early quilted creations pushed me to begin to contemplate the concept of Making Beauty.
How was it possible to be in such deep grief and still focus on Making Beauty?
Was I just pretending or avoiding dealing with the grief?
How is it possible to simultaneously focus on pain and beauty?
These questions led me to the realization that beauty is born out of every situation, every moment. Making Beauty is a choice.
Everything becomes the raw materials for a beautiful life.
I was in a process that broadened the definition of Making Beauty to go beyond art or physical beauty or lovely flowers. It wasn’t just about a good hairdo, or perfect makeup, or thin legs. I began to think of beauty in how I interact with friends, in how I plant seeds, or in how I appreciate the sky at golden hour on a summer evening. There became no boundaries in what it meant to make beauty.
I began to wonder if Making Beauty is literally everywhere and what I found was YES!
Choose a life of Making Beauty. What Does that Mean?
Imagine that everything you do is Making Beauty.
Sometimes Making Beauty is about what you offer the world. The art you make. The gardens you create. Preparing beautiful food. Creating a welcoming space. Cleaning out a closet. Generously gifting your time and talent. Building community. Being good to a friend. Making a financial plan. Moving turtles off the road. Welcoming others. Taking risks. Playing. Caring for your children. Caring for yourself. Asking for help. Saying YES more often.
Sometimes Making Beauty is about what you accept from the world. Letting others care for you. Accepting the gifts from the world. Appreciating intricate flowers. Noticing the different colors of green in each vegetable. Letting yourself be held up by your community, family and the world. Accepting generosity and kindness. Being awe-struck at the sound of the cicadas and the tree frogs. Feeling loved.
Focusing on both how you offer beauty and how you accept beauty shifts your quality of life, contradicts the inevitable hard times, and brings a new appreciation of the underlying contentment that is present everyday.
Everything in your life is an opportunity to meet the beauty and holiness of the world.
What happens when you choose to see and celebrate the beauty in your life?