History as inspiration & enlightenment (BKI 29 in Belgrade, Serbia)
🎃October is the month of connecting past-present-future. It connects our worlds, our dimensions, on a grand scale. It helps show us where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’d like to go. October brings together the human journey! For me, diving into the history of my art(s) deepens my present practices plus inspires me toward future innovation. I was lucky to visit the National Museum of Serbia, recently opened after a 15-year renovation. Containing over 400K arts and crafts, it gave me a deeper connection to the human creative spirit, my ultimate quest of understanding. (Plus, I’m staying in a living history 50s style apartment, which you’ll get a peek at!) Reconnect to the history of your art Connecting to your art’s evolution doesn’t have to be intimidating or dull - just 5 minutes can spark your imagination and motivation! In this short video, I share 3 benefits of knowing about your art’s history, plus a simple strategy for getting started.
Hi, this is Diana. Bright Knowledge Instants give you one thing you can do today to move your creativity ahead. And right now we are in October. October is a month when the veil is thin between the worlds and we find All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, Day of the Dead, Celtic New Year, Halloween. It's a time when we get to think about how the past and the future come together.
And in a previous Bright Knowledge incident, I spoke about your heritage and how that can be reclaimed to bring your creativity ahead. Today I want to talk a little bit about history of your art, because right now I'm in a very interesting apartment in Belgrade, Serbia, and it's all decorated in the 50s. As you can see, the entire apartment is like this. I'll try and make a little video so you can it.
And it really reminds me of how going back in history can spark our creativity today. Because, number one, it roots you, it gives you context. Sometimes we feel alone, sometimes we feel like we're floating and that we don't have anything to hold on to. When you look at the roots of your art form, whatever your art form is, it can give you great stability and purpose. When I started researching about the history of the harp, it was so fascinating because I found it went all the way back to the bow and arrow.
It went right back to the beginning of human civilization. And that gave me a real confidence in the power of the harp and in its relevance across all cultures. When we look in the past, we also get new ideas. There are things that have been forgotten that are completely fascinating and amazing. So, for instance, again with harp, harp was understood in ancient Egyptian times to be a very healing instrument.
And now in the past, I would say maybe 30, 40 years, we've started using harps again in hospitals and healing centers. So for your art form, what has its role been in history? And what are some of those roles you can reclaim? When we bring together these new perspectives, new ideas start coming out. So that's the third thing I'd like to offer you. Number one was the idea of rooting you.
Number two was the idea of reclaiming ancient ideas. Number three is how can you innovate upon those ideas? You will be able to. You'll automatically get sparked when you think, oh, how can I make this relevant? Today a new idea will come to you. You don't have to keep all those three things in mind, though. All you have to do is research for five minutes. Today, what is the history of your art?
Just start at the beginning. Wikipedia is a great place to go and just read a little context. See what that history brings out for you. It doesn't have to be a huge thesis. Just five minutes today. I bet you'll find something that you didn't know, because I always find even more about the harp, even though it's what I research all day long. Try it today. I think you'll be inspired and buy from Belgrade.