Beauty: an alternative to perfection

When I was just a child, I remember being blown away by the simplest of things. I was obsessed with crickets, lizards, and rocks, observing them intently as I admired their design, function, and beauty. Even back then, I can remember the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” being whispered in my ear.I grew up believing that this was an unchallengeable truth, self evident by the variety of colors, shapes and styles present in our everyday lives. From the clothes we wear to the music we listen to, our hair styles, our cars, and even our homes. And so I grew up believing that the adults around me weren’t impressed by my rocks and bugs because they simply didn’t appreciate them as i did. I guess I was the only one that found those little creations so fascinating and beautiful.

As I grew older though I began to realize that any question raised about a persons view of beauty was grounds for immediate dismissal and the severest of social punishments. Phrases like “know it all”, “pompous jerk” and “who do you think you are?”, were explosively launched in attempt to halt my ridiculous line of questioning. Despite the constant beatings I kept on for my search of truth, all the while believing there was more than what I was being told. Certain patterns in what was thought to be purely subjective began to emerge and present themselves as being ,in fact, quite objective and grounded in reality. Although everyone claimed to have their own unique and individual tastes, I never once saw a person gaze at the stars and remain unimpressed. Nor did I witness the power of a sunrise leave someone wanting. I never saw someone scoff at the waves of the ocean or dare to call a flower unsightly.

What I did notice, over and over I might add, was those around me…. just….not paying attention. Countless times I’ve seen a marvel of creation be completely overlooked because of a dramatic social media post, the urgent email, and the incessant ring of a cell phone. I have seen a self conscious woman at the beach more concerned with her appearance than that of the sea. I have seen an anxious man worried more about his debt than the nature trail he’s hiking with his family. I saw time and time again a single twenty something focused more on posting the perfect picture for “insta” than on the towering mountain range behind her. And so I asked myself, is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder or are we simply closing our eyes?

Occasionally I still find the random cricket inside my house. I quickly capture it, this time not in admiration but in disdain. I find the occasional rock in my shoe and quickly throw it away in annoyance and relief. And I see a lizard from time to time try to climb the glass of my bay windows and….wait…actually I still think that’s cool. My point though is that the world around us doesn’t seem to change as much as we think it does. Beauty may be less preference and more awareness than we once believed. The rocks, the crickets, the sunrise and the stars remain unchanged. What changed was inside of us. The light of a child’s eyes capable of seeing the beauty in the mundane has grown dim and risks being completely extinguished.

And so we argue about what’s in and what’s out, what we like and what we don’t. We hide behind our “preferences” to gain acceptance. We try our hardest to quell our cravings of love and belonging by telling ourselves that beauty is just as transient as is our fickle heart. Maybe it’s time we get out of our own way. Perhaps  it’s time we open our eyes and see beauty for what it is: an omnipresent fact of life, revealing itself only to those looking for it.

While it is true that I don’t always know what is beautiful and what isn’t, I can tell you this…I will never stop trying. Every object that i design and every table I construct will be built in search of that universal feeling that lies somewhere hidden in the power of a sunrise. Every dresser I build will pursue the calm radiated by the sunset and every simple shelf made with the tree it’s taken from in mind.

So next time you hear the birds sing or a dog chase it’s tail please take the time and reflect. Ponder the questions that have been set forth as offensive as you might now see them and chase in sincerity all that is beautiful.

best wishes

  Devan Camacho