Burgos, 7 September 2021
I like visiting museums, mostly art museums. My favorite is to see an exhibit by one artist or of one genre of art. In this way I learn about that artist or style of art.
This morning I went to the museum of Burgos which is all about the history of Burgos. I had low expectations but the entrance fee was only a euro. Pretty soon I entered what I think of as “the broken pots” room. How many shards of pottery can one room contain and why am I looking at them? I wasn’t terribly excited by it but then a small thought crept into my brain and changed everything.
Suddenly I was struck by how intricate the pottery was and how. It changed as time passed. The pottery was plain and rough but soon lines and grooves appeared around the pottery, and drawings began to show up. I never really looked at these things before. I started to ask myself, “Who first decided to take a stick and make a pattern of lines on this bowl?” Who was the first person to say, “I’m think I’ll draw a little bird on this. I think that would be real pretty. And maybe I could put some more birds on these bowls to match.” And how long was it before someone said, “Hey so and so drew a bird on their pottery”. I wasn’t looking at bits of pottery anymore, I was looking at someone’s creation in clay.
It spoke to me of humanity’s desire to be creative. We are each of us looking to put our own little mark on something. And it’s not just about a bird on pottery…it’s a descant added on to a song, a particular turn of phrase that speaks volumes, looking at a molecule and asking, “What happens if I do this?” It’s a bit of computer code or a silly joke. We all want to add something to this life. More importantly we all have something to add to this life. And…it all adds something to life.
The “what” that gets added isn’t as important is the “who” who added it. Don’t be afraid to add your piece of creativity. The world needs you.
Buen Camino
One day I decided to go for a walk... 