Renaissance thoughts 2025

This weekend, I went to the renaissance fair. It’s a staple in Colorado, almost as much as going hiking or getting caught out in an all-out blizzard. And while writing doesn’t feel like the best way to express my post-festival high, it’s the thing I’m best at, so here I am! 

Over the years, I have gone with a couple of different kinds of people. I have gone with people that dash through all the shops, buying overpriced item after overpriced item as they shell out all the money they had been saving up since last year. Other people like to leisurely stroll through a few places that look interesting, checking out a few shows as they come across them and maybe making time for one or two that look particularly interesting. Still others will find a nice place to sit and enjoy the pleasant weather (that is, until they burn!) 

Now you might find yourself thinking that I don’t have a renaissance-rhythm of my own. You’d be wrong on that one. It may sound like a cop-out, but my passion is simply being there. Oh, to drink in the atmosphere! The actors, the singers, the guests–it’s all a blissful high for me. 

Geez, I hope I don’t sound like a creep now. 

What the renaissance festival is for me is nothing short of an overflowing fountain of passion. And I am a glutton for the waters that runneth over. It’s a beautiful thing to see people so moved by creativity, so committed to something more than just survival. I can think of very little that inspires me more. It makes my eyes swell up with tears of inspiration. Though I have struggled to enjoy things that aren’t, in some way, practical, art and aesthetics have always been the center of my attention. There’s something about it that appears to be more than it seems in a way that overwhelms me with bliss. 

On the surface, arts can be poo-pooed because they don't “do” anything. They aren’t practical. They don’t pay the bills. That much is true, but I always like to remind people that we were born for far more than just survival. After all, we’re all going to fail that goal eventually, and every one of us knows it. That doesn’t mean that everyone could, or should, go chase a career in something creative or impractical. Some of us still have bills that need to get paid. Heck, some of us just plain prefer the regular rhythms of a normal life. That’s a completely normal thing to want!

But no one should neglect their creative side; that inner dreamer that sees far beyond the world of just what is. That world is bland. That world is boring. I find that the more I fixate on what is, the more I feel the value in life slipping through my fingers. Everyone needs a fantasy to get excited about. A hero to try to be like; a costume to wear on a dreary day. We all need creativity in the air for life to be a little less bland. Not because we’re so advanced that we’re bored with just trying to survive, but because we have souls that dream of the great beyond, of worlds far from our own. Deep down, we all recognize the want–no, the ache, for more. And art is the answer to this ache. 

Clearly, aesthetics is my favorite topic of study. I really need to get back into that. On a personal note, though, going this year re-awakened a side of me that I had long since forgotten. DnD is no longer a part of my weekly rhythm. Not because I’ve fallen into the deep-end cult of Christians who call it satanic, but because I don’t have the time or energy to make the commitment I know it demands. My weeks are filled with bible studies and workout sessions, and my weekends are movies, plasma donations and recovering from the week’s work. And without DnD as an outlet for all things creative, I feel like I don’t have a space to channel all this creative energy. Personally, my creative endeavors need to be practical. The cool thing has to be useful somehow. Even if it’s just a mug or a shot glass, that’s good enough for me. But an elaborate costume that I’ll use once a year at best? That kinda irks me. I almost want to say it ruins the fun of it all. Dnd was that practical function for me. It was the outlet for all my creative ideas. Without it, I think a part of me died.

But isn’t art a little impractical? Isn’t it often there for its own sake, in a way? Do we go to concerts with hopes of getting something that helps us survive? With the amount of money we spend on tickets, we could easily fill our bellies for days on end, so why don’t we? It’s weird–we engage in art without seeking anything in return, but wind up getting plenty out of it anyway. I know I feel far more rejuvenated having gone than I would have simply resting my body on the couch all weekend. 

Isn’t that strange? By going high up into the mountains and being on my feet all day, I find myself feeling fresher and more alive than if I had given my body the rest it probably needs? Matthew 6:25 just popped into my head, specifically the words, “is not life more than food, and the body for more than clothes?” Humans, creation–it’s all an overflow of inspiration. An expression of creativity, an embodiment of beauty. Could it be that inspirational moments like this are a testament to that idea? 

I know, I know–that verse was taken out of context and glued together with some other ideas. I have other verses that could better argue this idea, but that’s not what I’m here to do. I’m here to encourage you to get creative, and to add spice to your life in some way. You don’t have to be good at art to do this, either. Just get engaged in something, some way, somehow. It could be as little as changing the wallpaper on your phone, or the music you listen to on the drive into work. Just don’t let your life grow dull in the monotonous ache of what is. 

But maybe you do have the time and the energy to do more with your life. Perhaps you need an outlet, a hobby. Maybe all you need right now is the belief that you can, in fact, get somewhere with it. If that’s you, grant me the honor of being thy wake-up call! Take those steps! You will fall, yes, but that’s all part of the process. That’s where community comes in to teach and to guide. Good people will help you grow in your craft, guiding you along the path they once walked. They’ll help you correct your mistakes, and ultimately bring you to the realization that every person you call great was once standing exactly where you are, with the lack of talent you find yourself in today. 

I’m not limiting this to the typical artsy-fartsy stuff, either. If axe throwing is what you want to do, go with that! (granted, you should probably do it safely…and legally and stuff.) Expand your horizons and get interested in something! After all, life is for more than just survival, because we all fail at that anyway. Give something a shot, because even if you fail, what better way is there to live than to reach out for the touch of glorious bliss? 

All this talk of art might have you asking, but what about this event specifically brings these thoughts out of me? Couldn’t I just go see a movie or visit an art museum instead? After all, they’re both inside and not clogged up by heavy traffic. Why not find something easier? I mean, the movies maybe, but have you been to an art museum? If you like it, that’s cool, but I’ve never found it to be particularly life-bringing. No, at the heart of it all is the ability to connect with other kinds of people. Different kinds of people. People who live their lives with different focuses, sometimes even going to silly extents with their values. And, at other times, teaching us to grow in ways that we have long since stopped caring about. Let me give you some examples. 

I always love hearing tales of the vikings. From what I have gathered, these guys were maniacs! They were obsessed with war, raiding villages and killing for the heck of it. I’m not saying I like the idea of killing people willy-nilly, but you gotta admit: it’s kinda funny when you think about it. Imagine bringing that kind of energy to the gym, angrily curling dumbbells with an obsessed look on your face. I’m chuckling just writing about it. A college professor once told me that the Vikings would get high on mushrooms before going into battle so they wouldn’t feel pain. If that doesn’t make you chuckle, I don’t know what will. 

A deeper interest of mine has been in knights (if that wasn’t obvious by the way I have my website designed.) I once read a book called, “raising a modern-day knight,” which is all about the initiation rituals that knights had and how we can transfer the concept into the modern age. Though the fantasy of being a knight may come and go, much like all the rest, this idea is deep and profound. It has been stuck to me for a few years now and it’s something I think we need to re-learn how to utilize. 

Deep down, I think this creativity can spark an interest in the ways of cultures gone by, becoming a means of stretching our understanding of how the world works and how it could work. Events like these can teach us how to learn and be curious about the world around us. It’s like drinking a cup of excitement. Perhaps creativity is one of those things that could help us all grow closer together, instead of further apart. Or, I dunno, maybe I’m just letting my excitement take over. 

Until next time

May peace be your guide.