It’s fabulous that we have so much recorded history to study, learn from, and occasionally re-live.
But where did all this history come from? Or.. who did it come from?
I. History of Art and Ideas
The "renowned" artefacts of history, whether they be books, works of art, inventions, or ideas, were created by people similar to you and me. And some of these have attracted prominence long after the artist's death – Van Gough, for example.
This is priceless documentation. To be able to have a glimpse in time.
But what about the individuals who had no impact on culture or history? What about Van Gough's companions? DaVinci's marble provider? Epictetus' students? In some instances, we are aware of the people who surrounded these historical characters. However, what are their stories?
Are there journals one written that have vanished? Art without attribution or dating? Inventions whose roots cannot be proven?
Does knowing who the individual behind the work increase its value or significance? Do we need to know?
I consider it crucial to know that someone did it. Because you can follow their creations over time. One-off pieces are scarce; the body of work is what interests us. Anyone can strike gold, but to do it again – intentionally – is when you turn heads.
But I digress. The purpose of this letter is not to examine the breadth of someone's work, but to examine how history influences people today.
II. Impact of History on Our Present
As someone with artistic endeavours, there are innumerable parallels to be drawn between what I do and historical figures. We really are no different after all. How can I create work as influential as theirs?
Which prompts me to question whether it needs to have a global impact in the first place. The history we interact with was the stuff that made it out in an acceptable condition. But I can assure you that there were disproportionately more pieces that never reached us. Does this render the time and effort invested in them useless?
It's an intriguing thought to consider why we actually create stuff. If it’s never going to be seen by anyone of the future, why do it?
Today, there is so much emphasis placed on "content" that it might be daunting to seek out the newest trend to follow. The next 10-second video to be swipe to. The next piece of content you need to post. So much focus is placed on the future - what are you doing next? It is nearly impossible to not consider leaving some sort of mark or 'legacy.'
This isn’t even an artist’s problem, it’s cultural. Especially here in Australia, there’s always the question of What are you doing? What are you up to? What are you working on? Where's that going to go? How are you planning to make money with that? Lot's of what's—where’s—how’s, and even when you get to the why of what you're doing it's about the future impact that it's going to have.
III. Instincts for the Future
I suppose you cannot fault us for planning for the future or attempting to improve it. It’s kind of what animals do. Some gather food for hibernation, some construct nests for their flightless young, while we build homes for our family and the next. Animals are hardwired with the ability to anticipate the future. Obviously, humans have a significant advantage in this regard—our ability to innovate is far beyond anything other animal on this planet, but even if unconsciously, animals prepare themselves.
Why? Why think about it so much? I believe it’s simply securing our species’ future. It’s just a survival instinct. Very useful.
Today we still need to think about this, but collectively rather than individually. We’re all so interconnected that we can collaborate to secure our future. However, this nagging feeling of individual contribution persists.
Now for the kicker: I think this has become a big flaw.
IV. The One Guarantee
Despite our efforts, no one's future is assured. And collectively, we recognise this. There are no real guarantees as a collective anyway. But individually? There is only one guarantee:
You will die.
When—how—where—who knows? But it’s the only certainty any of us have.
That makes the future uncertain. Not-guaranteed. Nevertheless, we continue to plan for it regularly.
Yes I know, I’m talking in absolutes. There’s a high chance that everyone reading this letter is going to take another breath, and a slightly lower (but still high chance) that we’ll wake up tomorrow.
But the idea that neither of those is guaranteed is the point. Create for the present. Work for today. See and interact with people now.
These historical figures were skilled at what they did. Ideas that have endured time, art that still strikes a chord – but they didn’t know that. They were not clairvoyants. They just expressed and articulated what was pertinent to them at that time. There's also a bit of luck in it too.
But for us now, with so much clutter—with everyone’s focus on the future of building a brand and a mini empire, choosing a slower approach and keeping this simple appears to be a rarity.
V. Create Today
This is an invitation to refrain from unnecessary anxiety. Take your time. Create whatever you want, whenever you want. It'll all work out eventually. There needs to be more blips on that graphic above. No, it's not a literal representation but you get the point. The more of us that create and share, the more points there are to draw from.
There's no need to attempt impact on a global scale either; instead, concentrate on what is essential to you and people around you. What inspires you today? Work on creating things that are meaningful to you and your community, and the world will be better for it.
Reflecting on the subtle impacts of history allows us to understand how to strive for creative excellence today. The accomplishments of these historical figures were rooted in their passion for the present and for their craft. We can emulate them by having no qualms about creating what is meaningful to ourselves and those close to us.
We can appreciate the courage and dedication of these pioneers while still recognising that there were no guarantees—even in their accomplishments. Their work is a reminder that there is beauty and value in the present and that it is worth the effort to focus on what we can do and experience today.
Stay safe, and pass-it-on.