The Opposite of Beauty...
Somebody said that "Beauty is the Opposite of Perfection - It's about Confidence, Charisma and Character..."
I don't know who said that, but I totally agree.
The word 'Photogenic' is thrown around a lot in my world. It's not a word I personally like - or even use - because socio-culturally, it's a very loaded word that skews our self image, striking varying degrees of fear into the hearts of otherwise strong, confident people.
By now, you're probably used to my mantra that 'nobody is photogenic'. Because that's not the goal.
Wishing you were 'photogenic' is about striving for perfection which is that unrealistic and completely unhelpful.
There's an amazing Chinese word that describes what I mean perfectly. It's a very small word with huge implications.
That word is "Li".
Li refers to the imperfect perfection everywhere in the natural world... The markings in Jade, the grain in Wood...
These things are beautiful BECAUSE of their imperfection. Not despite it. Perfect symmetry and rigid order is not our nature either. It's Li that makes us special... beautiful. And it's the Li we strive to see and capture through the camera.
When we truly embrace our own Li, then the important things like Confidence, Charisma and Character are free to come through. And that is when we connect.