Genius, pt. VI
After China, the next place and time of genius in “The Geography of Genius” is Florence during the Renaissance when Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and many other great artists created wonderful art. The author, Eric Weiner, visited Florence and learned that “the Renaissance was much more of a team effort than we think.”
He found out that “art was a collective enterprise; it belonged to everyone. No Florentine artists, not even the self-absorbed Michelangelo created only for himself. The artists did it for the city or the Church, or for posterity. True genius is never a completely private affair.”
The author compares this “team effort” to what we call team building, which Wikipedia defines as “the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.”
Although I have never been to a team building event, most of the working people I know in the Philippines have been to one at least once. Because I’ve never been to one, I don’t know how effective it is; but I guess I can imagine how being with a group of people and discussing with them can inspire people to be creative.