Walking or cycling along the cobblestoned streets of Holland reminded me that we can learn from history as we live in the present and look to the future.
Coming from a well to do family, Rembrandt later lived beyond his means and experienced great financial and personal woe; much of it his own doing.
Talent and fame do not automatically equal success but true talent lives beyond any one lifetime.
The gifted artist took great pains to not only develop his talent but to ‘build his brand’ long before that now popular marketing term was part of our lexicon.
What would have become of his reputation amidst the celebrity cult today, where some with questionable talent achieve their 15 minutes of fame largely only through good PR and persistent marketing? Who knows?
But I do know that Rembrandt was best known for his detailed portraits that distinctly capture the uniqueness of the individual-and the moment.
Likewise, each of our lives is a canvas of colourful emotions. Every morning we wake to new opportunities to create the best one-off masterpiece of our individual beings-our thoughts, talents and deeds.
As Rembrandt was once quoted: ‘Try to put well in practice what you already know; and in so doing, you will in good time, discover the hidden things which you now inquire about. Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.’
We’re not all ‘oil paintings’ in the glamor stakes but we do all need a clear picture of what we want our own lives to look like-today, tomorrow and in years to come.
Will your self-portrait stand the test of time?