The Intimate Details
First, welcome to the first post on Bee Aesthetic. Throughout the course of my life I've attempted many endeavors. I'm a residential house painter by trade but have ventured into photography, woodworking, recording and making music, ultra marathon running, nutrition and fitness, and most recently, furniture refinishing. I enjoy writing about all the things I've learned through these various outlets.
I love the story of the Bee. It's been said that bumble bees can't fly. But they do anyway. Though this has been disproven, it's still a unique story. I like to remember the Bee when the odds are against you. When others count you out, you count yourself in. To be aesthetic is to be appreciative of beauty. It is also a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of an artist or artistic movement.
One of the things I've learned through painting and refinishing furniture has left a lasting impact on my everyday life. It's a short and simple lesson.
When I paint a house, a room, or even a piece of furniture I see every single square inch of it up close. I know every detail. I see every flaw. I know it intimately. Oddly, when I'm finished I can only see the flaws, never being fully satisfied unless the recipient of said project is happy. And even then there is a tinge of anxiety that they will see what I see. But, they never do.
I thought that wouldn't happen when it came to refinishing furniture. There is more of an artists touch involved and there is no real right or wrong. But I still see all the places I made a "mistake" or an area I'm not quite happy with. Often times I'll miss out on something great and waste a whole lot of time while chasing perfection.
In fact, every single time I'm done with a project the one that comes in when I'm finished is absolutely in love with how it turned out.
How sad it would be if I told someone else about those seemingly insignificant flaws? You know what would happen? That would be all that they could see. Every time they looked at something they once loved, they would only see it's flaws. There are very few people that can look past the flaws and into the heart of a person. Wait...I thought I was talking about furniture and houses.
I am. But it happens with people too. Many of us have several close friendships/relationships. We know those people well. Over time, it's easy to slip into a pattern of only seeing the flaws and negatives of that person. Did you know that negative impressions happen immediately while positive impressions take about 15 seconds to imprint into your brain? For example, amazon reviews. You are trying to decide on a project and even though 876 people ranked it a 5 of 5, you only pay attention to the 32 that had a bad experience and are almost convinced you will be number 33. Next time you hug someone, hold it a little longer, 15 seconds longer and see what happens.
You know what/who else we do it to? Ourselves. Of all the people we know, we know ourselves the most intimately. We know all our thoughts and all of our physical selves. Every photo we see of our self, we immediately look to see how good we look, and we'll never look good enough. Mostly because we don't know what good enough looks like. We don't see what other people see who look at us for the first time.
It takes an honest effort to be positive. It's hard. It's easier to be negative. But the payoffs for positivity pay many more dividends. It's never to late to turn things around, see the scars, flaws, and inconsistencies and accept them. Love them. Know they are a part of what makes you, you. But know that you aren't a slave or prisoner to them. You own them, they don't own you.
You are beautiful. All of you. Take some deep breaths, try not to move your shoulders, fill up your belly with air. Take 15 seconds and read this paragraph again you beautiful person you.
I love the story of the Bee. It's been said that bumble bees can't fly. But they do anyway. Though this has been disproven, it's still a unique story. I like to remember the Bee when the odds are against you. When others count you out, you count yourself in. To be aesthetic is to be appreciative of beauty. It is also a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of an artist or artistic movement.
One of the things I've learned through painting and refinishing furniture has left a lasting impact on my everyday life. It's a short and simple lesson.
When I paint a house, a room, or even a piece of furniture I see every single square inch of it up close. I know every detail. I see every flaw. I know it intimately. Oddly, when I'm finished I can only see the flaws, never being fully satisfied unless the recipient of said project is happy. And even then there is a tinge of anxiety that they will see what I see. But, they never do.
I thought that wouldn't happen when it came to refinishing furniture. There is more of an artists touch involved and there is no real right or wrong. But I still see all the places I made a "mistake" or an area I'm not quite happy with. Often times I'll miss out on something great and waste a whole lot of time while chasing perfection.
In fact, every single time I'm done with a project the one that comes in when I'm finished is absolutely in love with how it turned out.
How sad it would be if I told someone else about those seemingly insignificant flaws? You know what would happen? That would be all that they could see. Every time they looked at something they once loved, they would only see it's flaws. There are very few people that can look past the flaws and into the heart of a person. Wait...I thought I was talking about furniture and houses.
You know what/who else we do it to? Ourselves. Of all the people we know, we know ourselves the most intimately. We know all our thoughts and all of our physical selves. Every photo we see of our self, we immediately look to see how good we look, and we'll never look good enough. Mostly because we don't know what good enough looks like. We don't see what other people see who look at us for the first time.
It takes an honest effort to be positive. It's hard. It's easier to be negative. But the payoffs for positivity pay many more dividends. It's never to late to turn things around, see the scars, flaws, and inconsistencies and accept them. Love them. Know they are a part of what makes you, you. But know that you aren't a slave or prisoner to them. You own them, they don't own you.
You are beautiful. All of you. Take some deep breaths, try not to move your shoulders, fill up your belly with air. Take 15 seconds and read this paragraph again you beautiful person you.
Comments
Post a Comment