Tags
ani difranco, art, artist, beauty that moves, Emily Page, Emily Page artist, evolve, true definition of beauty, watercolor painting
I have a friend who said to me recently that she’s never felt beautiful. Actually, I’ve had a couple of friends who have said that, and it makes me so incredibly sad. These women are, objectively, lovely. I’m an artist, so I get to pretend to be an expert on these things. And when you get the chance to know the women who have told me this, they become even more beautiful. It’s unbelievable that no one has told them just how lovely they are in a way that convinces them. We all have our doubts about our own beauty. The media preys on that insecurity, and even the most gorgeous among us will obsess over her “flaws.” It claims to know the true definition of beauty and insists that we agree, even if we don’t fit into the current beauty fads.
But even with that knowledge, it’s been seriously bothering me that my one friend, in particular, doesn’t know what a beauty she is. There’s a line in an Ani Difranco song, Evolve, that says,
“it took me too long to realize
that i don’t take good pictures
cuz i have the kind of beauty
that moves”
I think that’s true for so many of us. Ours is a beauty that moves. It is in our laugh, or in our look of love. It’s in the kindness and joy and sadness and vulnerability that shine from our eyes. This beauty is not static, or easy to catch and capture. It flies, it runs, it does somersaults. Our beauty does not sit and wait for a photographer to tell us how to pose.
My friend is actually a photographer herself. It’s her job to make other people see their inherent beauty. She brings out the best in her subjects. And it’s high time someone did that for her. So I took a photo from her Facebook page and created a painting of her as I see her. It’s still not as beautiful as she is, but I feel it captures at least a hint of this beauty of hers that refuses to sit still.

“Beauty That Moves” 11″ x 14″ watercolor on paper
Iām beyond speechless… which is hard for an Italian like me. This is beautiful, in SO MANY WAYS!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you ššššššš
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Thank YOU for inspiring it and bringing color to my life.
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Absolutely lovely!
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Isn’t she?
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I absolutely love the line “i have the kind of beauty that moves”. So true when you see someone laughing or sharing you just can’t capture that beauty. Thank you. Your artwork is beautiful!
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Yes, Ani Difranco is kind of a genius. That line is just perfect.
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Your post gave me shivers! I absolutely love your painting. She must have flipped!
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She said she cried “ugly tears,” which is kind of ironic, lol. She’s just a beautiful, inspiring person.
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Oh I LOVE this Emily. What a lovely, kind & generous gesture you did for your friend. I absolutely love that line from the song too. Itās so true for most of us too. As lovely as my friends look in photos, theyāre always more beautiful in motion.
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It’s hard that we’re in an age of selfies and are forced to constantly examine and compare ourselves to everyone else, when in actuality, a photo will never capture just how lovely we are as people.
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So, so true. Far too obssessed with superficial beauty rather than real beauty that which matters.
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Lovely post, Emily. The twinkle of the eye, that cheeky grin, or the way we move our mouths all make us unique in how we relay to others our beauty within.
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Definitely!
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