Be Open to New Experiences How Time in Florence and Venice Inspired Me
Photos by Scott Obernberger
Summer is approaching as I write this. I am preparing to plant flowers around my store.
It is the time of year when we think about new life and opportunities. Birds are singing, days are getting longer, and trees are getting green again.
Many of us are getting ready to pack our trucks with our latest creations and hit the road to begin the summer show circuit. It is a busy time when all things are possible.
In Sunshine Artist’s May issue, I wrote about what to do when chaos reigns and how to plan when everything feels uncertain. With a world filled with craziness, why do we do what we do?
It is because we want to bring — and share — beauty with others. This is not a new instinct; people have been drawn to creating things since the beginning of time. Even cave dwellers tried to squeeze in some time for art — albeit a bit rudimentary.
I recently had the chance to go to Florence and Venice and get inspired by works that revolutionized how art was created and ideas were shared. In this issue, I am returning to the basics by writing about art and beauty in the world and thinking a bit about Italy.
Breathe
In previous issues, I have written about how important it is to get away to find inspiration and to recharge your batteries. This year, I went to Florence to take in as much of the Renaissance as I could and was lucky to see friends from the Netherlands while I was there.
We work hard. Many of us work six or even seven days a week for much of the year. We develop ideas and concepts. We focus those ideas on designs and craft those designs into prototypes.
Then we tweak the prototypes into a finished product and make enough art to sell — hoping to make a profit. We market it, distribute it, and travel to shows and galleries to sell it. And then we start all over again.
If you are reading this magazine, odds are that this is your career and vocation. It is a wonderful vocation, but you need to take a step away occasionally, or you run the risk of becoming Jack Torrance in The Shining. All work and no play…. not a good option.
Downtime is critical. It allows us to rest, clear our heads, renew our spirit, and get motivated. It balances us a bit and reminds us that we work hard to have the resources to find our joy and take time for ourselves. Most importantly, it allows us to spend time with loved ones without the normal daily pressures creeping in and preventing us from really appreciating them.
For me, travel is that way to step away. I have learned there is no such thing as a staycation. If I do not physically remove myself from my studio, I will go downstairs and work.
Excuses like, “I’ll just work for two hours,” or “If I just get this one task done, it will be so much better next week,” turn into full days of work with no change in my normal patterns. Banning myself from the workspace is not enough. It apparently requires a 10-hour flight and an ocean to get me to stop going into the shop.
It is important to get away from the normal routine and experience the world. Different sights, sounds, smells, and flavors inspire new ways of doing what we do.
Meeting people whose approach to life is different than ours helps us realize there is more than one way to do something. Seeing color and forms used in ways we have not thought of gives rise to not just inspiration but to subtle changes in our work that occur without even realizing it.
Exposing ourselves to art, history, and architecture that is different from what we see in our day-to-day lives allows our brains to grow and nurtures the soul. And yet, beneath all the differences, we find the common strands that hold all of us united.
Basic human concepts of love, loyalty, beauty, faith, desire, awe, pain, trial, and respect are found no matter where you go. The differences are in how it is presented and in nuance. That is the spark of inspiration.
Mambo Italiano
As I get closer to retirement, I try to take at least one major trip each year. Believe it or not, if you travel to Europe off season (January through April), it is less expensive than traveling in the United States.
The key is to plan your own itinerary and book everything yourself on one of the travel sights. A one- to two-week trip to almost anywhere in Europe can be booked (hotel and airfare) for $1,200 to $2,000.
Do research, check travel guides (I am partial to the DK travel guides), go online to get other opinions and reviews, and book your time away. Planning the trip is part of the fun. As C.S. Lewis said, anticipation is oftentimes the greatest joy.
So, this year’s inspiration trip was to Florence with day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and Venice. Since I was traveling alone for most of the trip, I got to spend as much time as I wanted exploring every museum and basilica that I could.
There were all the ones everyone thinks of – Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, and frescoes by Giotto at Santa Croce. Each one is utterly amazing and more impressive than you can imagine. But in between all those well-known places are thousands of examples of art tucked away, just waiting to be discovered.
Staying mostly in one place for a week or more gives you the opportunity to wander, explore, and find hidden gems tour guides do not talk about. It gives you the chance to experience a lifestyle and surroundings that are different than your own.
Go to an open-air market and see the organized chaos of vendors setting up their displays with all the sights, smells, and sounds of that day’s fresh produce, fish, meats and cheeses (and enjoy the fact that you do not have to do anything since you are the customer this time).
Wander into smaller churches where you find lesser known, though often equally impressive, works of devotion and art. Explore the studios of other artists and strike up a conversation (sometimes more like charades due to language barriers) to find out what excites and inspires them.
Or just walk the streets and observe the unique architecture with all its embellishments and colors. Get lost in the moment and take it all in. Relax, renew, and recharge.
Don’t Stop Me Now
Be spontaneous. Have plans, but do not be afraid to wing it when you find the unexpected. That one is hard for me because I am a planner. The thought of making a plan while I was there and following through with it was outside of my comfort zone.
After I saw as much of Florence as anyone could, I decided to throw some clothes in a bag, get on a train for Venice, and stay overnight there for a change of scenery.
The last time I went there was more than 15 years ago. It was amazing how quickly it all came flooding back (no acqua alta, thank God).
I spent the whole time wandering around the city — taking in as much of it as I could. The best time was early in the morning when it was foggy and a bit chilly.
I strolled into the quiet part of Venice — close to the Arsenale where the Venetians built their fleet of ships. Today it is mostly a neighborhood of residences and small shops where the locals buy what they need. The solitude and atmosphere were rejuvenating.
As I roamed around, I came upon a huge neighborhood church called San Zaccaria. They began building the present church in 1458 — yes, almost 40 years before Christopher Columbus set sail.
In addition to amazing paintings and sculpture, there is the tomb of St. Zechariah, father of St. John the Baptist. St. Zechariah’s remains were gifted to the Venetians by Byzantine Emperor Leo V. A church was built to house his remains (the original church was built in the ninth century – the current church is the “modern” one).
As I stood in front of his tomb, I contemplated how an angel struck St. Zechariah mute due to his momentary lack of faith — unable to believe his elderly wife could be with child. It was only after John was born that he regained his voice. A mini epiphany occurred.
So often, I speak when I should not. If ever there was someone whose intercession for knowing when to speak and when not to, it is St. Zechariah. My friends and family have begun asking St. Zechariah to help them know when to speak up and when to remain silent. I sure hope he is not too annoyed by all the additional work I have caused.
My point is when you open yourself up to new experiences and a bit of unplanned exploration, you get inspired in ways you never thought of. I know I was not expecting it when I started my walk that foggy morning.
So, get out there and let inspiration and new ideas fill you. Watch the fog fade away and the sun then appear. It is a new day.
