When we were still in CT, one of the shows Nick and I really loved was Medici (Netflix). So when we got to Firenze — okay, that’s Florence for non-Italians like me…but since I’ve pledge allegiance to cappuccinos and supplis and arancinis and cacio e pepe and eating slowly…well, you never know…Lol.
But I digress.
When we got to the city (May 2019) we were ready to hunt this family down. We walked around looking for signs of their footsteps, like Hansel & Gretel following crumbs, hoping to be led back home. We were like the long lost family they never knew they had. (Ha, we wish, eh?)
But we weren’t alone. There are actual “Medici Tours” that shows you the family legacy. Famous or infamous, no one can deny that they left their mark in this country and most especially, in this city.
And oh, what a city.
My Mom often says her favorite city in the world is Florence. It’s easy to see why.
This city feels like a work of art. From above, from below, sideways — in every angle it feels like someone deliberately designed, orchestrated, drew, molded — whatever artistic word you prefer — this city to show off the grandeur and glory of its maker or…master.
The House of Medici is also dubbed as the “Masters of Florence.” And yes, until now, that might still be the case.
When I walk around, they are… everywhere!
Every investment they made in this city paid off. Big time. In fact, it’s still paying off! It grew to such exponential degree that if someone wants to talk about the benefits of compound interest, you may as well just show them…this.
Destinies of destinies, the Medici family grew to prominence as… bankers! (You knew all that finance talk was leading somewhere…)
And although their wealth came from banking, they are mostly known for their patronage of the arts and humanities. I’d also like to think of them as patron of the creatives… or simply just: proponents of people-who-live-to-create.
People they *heavily* supported: Donatello, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Botticelli, Machiaveli, Raphael, Gallileo… etc.
You may not be interested in that stuff but it’s almost impossible to never have heard these names. Because when people talk about them, it’s mostly in awe, in reverence.
“The Golden Age.”
“The Renaissance.”
“The rebirth that ushered us into a modern day.”
“The greatest of our times.”
In one word, “geniuses.”
These were men — and alas, they were mostly just men — who created and developed in the arts and sciences what are considered breakthroughs. Not just because of the transformation their creations gave the generation they were created for but for the inspiration and revelation it passed down to generations way after.
Again, we bump into compound interest.
But there’s one thing I love the most about the story of the Medicis. The one thing I keep seeing, again and again in their family dynasty. It’s this one simple truth that we usually don’t hear (or like to hear) when we talk about the “Renaissance Men:”
THE importance of the tangible and intangible backing and support these artists/creators had from people who had the resources to foster/help them develop their skill or you can say, their genius, so that they can create.
It was said that the Medici helped Michaelangelo find employment when his father was initially opposed to him being an artist. He also lived with the Medici family for 4 years and was treated as a family member (I take that to say, not an employee but had free reign of his time to develop his art).
Now, imagine if Michaelangelo had to worry about something as basic as what to eat for the next day, or as practical as how to survive. Would he have been able to answer the call of his art as he figures out “how not to be a starving artist?”
Botticeli and da Vinci were also reported to have lived with the Medicis. Gallileo was a tutor of the Medici children. The Medicis, with their wealth and resources, commissioned thousands of art works and architecture in their lifetime.
It begs the question, how many more “renaissance men/women” there would have been with that kind of support, or even just a little bit of support, everywhere?
When we talk about people’s genius, we often don’t go beyond that person’s skill or abilities
or “gift.” And when we do go beyond that, like how they got there, we talk about this strange happenstance that just sort of came together — like magic. And maybe it is. But even for magic to happen, someone, or a lot of someones, had to recognize that it happened.
I think it’s incredibly important to zoom out and emphasize that these legends, on their way to becoming legends, had crucial support. Tangible — hello, money/food/shelter. Intangible — yes, connections: friends, family or strangers — who had the foresight to somehow see who they are and can become.
People who said, “Hey… You know what? You’re on to something here. I believe in what you are trying to do. I’m going to support you. Tell me what you need and maybe I can help.”
It’s incredibly important because it’s giving justice to the simple fact that the support of your circle, big or small, matters. A society can make or break a genius — whether it does so consciously or unconsciously.
It’s incredibly important because we need that support. Now. Today. In a time where the wealth gap all around the world continues to increase. And people complain about people… who complain about making a living and wanting a different life.
Maybe the Medicis can teach us something:
Encourage and *pay* people to do the work they love, work they are obsessed with and you will, without a doubt, see rebirth… (and our era’s favorite words): innovation, value, productivity.
I often hear this labeled as the “millenial attitude of entitlement” — asking for what you’re worth when it seems you don’t deserve it.
But as a “youth” of today, I am asking you — to the people who are holding the baton — then help us get there. See beyond the differences in our generation, see the value we put on what we’re worth. Invest *in* us so we can get to that point… to the point of compound interest. To the point of your beloved renaissance.
Yes it is risky. But guess what the basic and global rule of investing is? The greater the risk, the higher the reward.
Interesting tidbit: During the time leading up to the renaissance, artists didn’t work until they got advance payment for their art. They were ”commissioned” to do work. The risk was also taken on by the people who wanted art. They had to put their money where their mouth is.
So… hey, it’s a new year. Firenze is cool and the museums there are mind-blowing, you should definitely see it if you have the chance… but more importantly, if you have any sort of influence/ skill/resource/connections — please find it in your heart to *support* a younger generation. If you see someone doing what they love to do and you see value in it, invest in them. Plant those seeds. Be a patron no matter how small or big.
And if you are a younger generation, please find the courage in your heart to put yourself out there and *ask* for what you need so that you can do the work you are obsessed with, excel in that so you can provide value that, we all hope and pray, is sustainable. And be okay if harvest season might take time. Nature knows her pace.
I’m speaking to myself too.
Word of caution, in reference to my last post: Planting is no joke!
Investment carries risk and there are rewards we hope for but may never see. But, like the Parable of the Talents:
“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Compound interest is something we’re all being called to invest in, I think…
It is still a new day / year / decade.
If you’re celebrating, Happy Lunar / Chinese New Year. Gong hei fat choi! ?✨May good fortune find you and live in you always.??
