Eighteen months ago, I started my project with a portrait of my mother. Ever since that day, I have met and portrayed many beautiful women, and every new portrait proves to me that beauty is more than just the outside.

With my work, I want to capture the beauty of aging women because, in my eyes, all women are beautiful. We are all shaped and formed by the story of our lives, the beauty of our maturity, and our wisdom. We are all so different, but we are also very much the same.

A few days ago, I portrayed my mother for AndBloom for the 3rd time in eighteen months. Today I also publish the conversation about her life we had together a while ago. It is only this time that I think I portrayed her right enough to post on the website, as the beautiful woman that she is.

Mom, tell us what you’d like us to know about yourself:

I am 70 years old and was born in 1949, Bandung, Indonesia. At the age of 9, I was repatriated to the Netherland together with my parents and my brother and sister. On arrival in the Netherlands, after a long boat trip, my mother appeared to be seriously ill. She had surgery for tuberculosis and stayed in a sanatorium for more than a year and a half. After that she still had a very long rehabilitation, not an easy period when you consider that my father had to work all day and went to visit my mother in the sanatorium every evening. It was a difficult start for us children. We moved from Indonesia to a country we didn’t know, and we were a real exotic sight in the 60s. Back then the Netherlands wasn’t the multicultural society that it is today.

I was married for nearly 25 years and had a beautiful daughter. My marriage was never a success, and I had a divorce at the age of 45. Because of all the misery surrounding the divorce, I learned a lot, and rapid personal growth ensued. My life has not been easy, I have known highlights, but also many (perhaps even more) lows. But I am a fighter, and I was determined to live an independent life, I have always worked and been financially independent. I was fortunate to have a strong network of people around to fall back on. Perhaps even more important in that period, I could very well be alone. The silence has never frightened me. Despite all the life lessons I have learned to keep looking positively ahead. I hardly ever panicked because I knew there would always be a solution, it turned out that way. I often had to make decisions on my own, which made me a stronger woman.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

During the most challenging periods of my life, I always found the strength to continue. I have a daughter that I am so incredibly proud of and whom I respect much. She has many talents, qualities, and enormous perseverance that everyone can be jealous of. I am thankful that I have a successful and sweet daughter and a grandson I love very dearly. Despite all the difficulties, I am also blessed with this happiness.

Happiness lies within ourselves. But maybe it’s not about the happy ending, but about the journey.

What can you tell us about aging?

When I think back of the years passed, time passed quickly, and I am trying to accept the harsh truth that nothing can last forever. There certainly are many positive things about aging, like self-development and the personal growth you go through. I have become more self-confident and often dare to make decisions more quickly. In my experience, you stand alone in life; in most cases, that is. When times got rough in the past, I lost many friends, which made me sadder at first but stronger in the end.

If you could tweet something to your younger self, what would you say?

Listen to your heart and trust your intuition. Drop the insecurity and get rid of the complexes! You are beautiful, good enough, and more than worth it! Don’t get stuck in life when you feel so lonely, unloved, and unhappy. But I know now that I did because I was not yet able to stand up for myself and endlessly hoped that everything would be fine. I never did, though.

Strangest recent middle-of-the-night thought?

I can lie awake in bed at night and regret the fact that I have always been such a good citizen. I should have had more fun without taking too much account of the rules of order and decency. 🙂

What’s your thought about nowadays beauty treatments like botox and fillers?

We live in a time with a lot of possibilities, and everyone should decide for themselves. Given my age, I am open to it and understand that some women consider small beauty corrections. But I never tried, and I am not sure if I ever will. Overall I am content with the way I look.

What’s your advice on aging gracefully for younger generations?

My opinion is to always take good care of yourself, in good and bad times. By that, I mean proper nutrition, enough physical exercise, enough sleep, but also the right guidance as therapies that can help you endure difficult times. Be proud of yourself even in the most challenging period of your life. Make sure you have a good social network and stay positive. Aging elegantly makes life more pleasant.

Which woman inspires you?

Women that really inspire me are rare, and yet we meet them occasionally. People who radiate nothing but wisdom and goodness. There are several women I admire for what they have accomplished. I couldn’t really come up with an example that quickly. But mainly the women who do not get restrained by age or other limits appeal to me.

How old are you?

I turned 70 this year.

Photo Credits:

Photography Denise Boomkens

Styling Dayenne Bekker

Makeup Esther van Maanen

Hairstyling Mark van Westerop