A Truth Behind Genius

In February Saskia performed at the UnBox Festival, an annual festival to promote contemporary arts in Delhi. The festival hosts a series of workshops and talks on different arts and crafts and projects as well as featuring musical performances and art installations. For me it was exciting to walk around the grounds for it was the first time I had come in contact with the alternative, artistic, active (youth) community that was so present in my college town of Rochester. I had taken this group for granted and forgot how much its inquisitive and passionate energy invigorates the greater community. Talks by video game developers on negotiating the balance of creating a culturally-specific and -relatable gaming world that can still be engrossing and engaging to an international audience, demonstrations by screen printers, interactive music hours - all with a platform for interaction and creative inquisition and exploration. 

Saskia performs Indian classical music and folk songs
from around the world with tabla player Durjay Bhaumik and Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink at UnBox 2013

Street food vendors in Delhi are ubiquitous and festival organizers (all young adults) tracked down some of the best to provide catering for the event!

Alexandre Letellier, the luthier who I first met in Bangalore on a mission to repair both my cello and Saskia's western cello back in November 2012 (see previous post), came up to Delhi to give a talk about instrument making. He discussed why he uses different kinds of wood for sound and ease of construction as well as getting into the physics of sound - its basic properties and how that affects the size and shape of instruments.

Rosewood bridges and sketches illustrating the application
of the properties of sound to violin construction, by Alexandre

But one of the things that made the most impression on me that day was when he was talking about how an individual's success is a result of a long trail of many people's hard work. I summarize from memory:

I get my wood from suppliers. And they get their wood from people who are experts in what trees are the best. Those people's lives are to know trees - they can look at trees as they search through the woods and identify what trees will provide the best materials. It is a chain of genius. Where we see success there lies a long chain of experts who rely on the next link down the chain. Success is not possible without this.

I am so aware how lucky I am to have so many people in my life who live by a rule of excellence and kindness. I don't take for granted that I have this intellectual and moral strength behind me supporting me and pushing me forward. And I so appreciate the passionate and creative communities that foster and inspire me. To never forget how much the hard work of others gets us where we are is as important as remembering how there is  no substitution for our own diligence to get where we want to be and to be able to create with the greatest.