I often wonder if my idea of beauty will brush off on Mishka. I know that my mom’s likes and dislikes certainly made an impression on me. The older I get the more aware I am of that influence. But I would like to think that Mish has her own ideas. I am almost certain that she perceives life through her own lenses, these lenses can be cultivated and tampered with, but intrinsically she has her own radar and compass.
The way she stares at a leaf or picks up a particular stone. In these little things are clues. Hints about her perception of beauty. It extends beyond objects. It goes into her idea of people and who she thinks is beautiful. I am often surprised when she points out a lovely person. How awfully shallow grown-ups can be, purely based on our conditioning of what is supposed to be pretty. It is in these things that I know, she sees beauty in so many things. I think most children have this unfiltered notion of their environment and their experiences.
Children do not seem to care much about what people think of them. Maybe this is the reason why they see beauty everywhere and in many people around them. They do not wear the hats of the critic all the time, a list of criteria by which you have to live in order to live a happy life. They give you so many opportunities to prove them wrong. Children will not think twice before they start a drawing, to them, it is about enjoying it rather than having a clear idea of a pretty picture.
Because they use their imagination, a stick can become wand; a dishcloth can become a pretty dress for their dolls. Oh and there’s another thing, dolls. I hardly ever see Mishka base her preferences on the prettiest doll; she chooses the one prettiest in her eyes. I must say, sometimes it’s the one with the worst hairstyle, but she sees something else.
This ability to see beauty in everything is what makes our children such wonderful explorers. A shrub may look like a fairy forest, every leaf a perfect boat to float on the puddle below.
I often find Mishka drawing in the sand, something we are all inclined to do, but this drawing in the sand extends to drawing in the kitchen counter pre-rolling flour – she sees an artwork.
The thing that amazes me the most is her faith. In beauty. She believes that the sun came out just for her and the garden gnomes to have a party. She believes that the rain will disappear and the rainbow will follow. There is no preconceived idea of what the perfect day looks like; the perfect day consists of fun.
I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to throw out those magazines telling us what beautiful looks like, I want to escape from the constant reminders of what perfection is.
We all have our own idea of beauty. But kids have the best idea. It is based on feelings, not ‘facts’ taught by the trendsetters and the fashion police. It is internal, not external. This is why children see the beauty that we too often overlook.
We would also like to give special thanks to Kamma Frans, they have definitely used aeons of imagination to create this awe-inspiring venue. There’s a space uniquely created for every type of occasion imaginable. These beautiful moments would not have been captured with such magic if it wasn’t for Kamma Frans and Luka Photography.