BOHEMIAN

1. BOHEMIAN “Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits. In this context, Bohemians can be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.”

2. BOHEMIANPractice of an unconventional lifestyle In today’s twisted society ‘bohemianism’ offers an alternative. A way to look at what’s usually taken for granted from a different point of view; a way to reflect on what’s considered normal and see that ‘abnormal’ is sometimes a more interesting option; a way to reveal that not everything is what it seems and unravel what’s hidden below the surface. It’s the ultimate alternative to a life on the top of an iceberg; sliding down, going under water and discovering an even bigger and brighter world that, only the ones who take a second look, are able to find. Conventionality seems to be failing us. Every system we’ve ever known is proving to be filled with flaws. In 2012 our world and all we know is hanging by a thread and only an unconventional outlook s is what’s bound to save us. Where once the cradle of our Western culture lay, is a country on the verge of bankruptcy today; when once Wallstreet was a place of business, it’s turning into a mental institute as we speak; the peaceful place in which people used to gather and pray is now smeared with the blood and tears of theinnocent… In a world that has never spun faster it’s hard to control difficult matters as morals and values, we need to create our own ‘Bible’ to keep on believing, loving, living…

13. BOHEMIANIn the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties Globalization has colored our world in many different ways. Our skin tones keep on getting more exotic; the food on our plates is a mix of creams and spices from all over the world; we have never traveled faster from one side of our globe to the other and it was never easier to get in touch and keep contact with Mister or Miss X miles away crossing oceans, moving mountains and pulling down time barriers in the process. Our blue planet has never seemed smaller, cultures have never met each other that fast and the possibilities of enriching the world and all of its treasures with the mixing and matching of global wisdom offers possibilities that go beyond everyone’s imagination. Though in the strength of today’s ‘connection technology’ lies an even bigger weakness: the threat of superficiality… Sinking into the superficial is easy. It’s often a simple way to avoid the difficulties of life, it’s a technique to protect oneself, it’s a mechanism to hide insecurities, but it’s also a bad way of going through life. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but mostly it’s just a pity, a waste of valuable time and interesting opportunities. Thanks to modern-day technology we can reach those like-minded to us in the blink of an eye. But while images used to move people, while words used to be treasured and a letter used to hold a love-story, the internet has robbed meaningful communication methods from their romanticism and replaced them with fast ‘like-buttons’, stuffed friendship lists on Facebook and albums of meaningless self-portraits. Connecting has never been that easy, but real, valuable human connections get lost in more distant, but simple chatbox conversations. Those like-minded to us will keep their thumbs up on our Facebook homepage, but the ties we share have never been so easily unknotted. ‘Bohemianism’ means getting in touch with our inner-selves and taking the time to dig deeper into the minds and spirits of those around us. Near or far, we need to go back to basics and rekindle the true ways of connecting, sharing and liking.

21. BOHEMIANMusical, artistic or literary pursuits In a world void of purity, art, in all of its forms, is the only way to escape from the superficial, the feeling of doom chasing us every day, the lack of words. Artists have the power to bring back the music into our lives, to conquer our hearts and enrich our minds with simple words of wisdom, to catch our eye with bright colors or shocking images. Art has always managed to make people stop and reflect, to confront them with ugly truths, to shake them and give them a much needed wake up call, to opposite the conventional, to state the contrary, to unravel the obvious… It’s the most creative, unconventional, optimistic, critical, often cynical, way to confront today’s crisis, take risks and turn them into a fruitful base for new ideas, new opportunities and new ways of living.

30. BOHEMIANWanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds “Wanderlust: a desire to travel, to understand one’s very existence” To reach a high we have to overcome the low, today’s crisis can be transformed into tomorrow’s success only if we are willing and able to face the obstacles in front of us and see them as opportunities to grow, live and learn. Transforming those obstacles into possibilities requires an open mind, an adventurous spirit and some soul searching. We need to dig back into the past and learn from great minds as Galileo, imaginative spirits like Michelangelo, adventurous souls like Colombus. All of them with a clear idea of what they were looking for, not afraid of what they might come across trying to find it. Each of them open for novelty; willing to discover; trying, knowing they might fail, but always hoping for that ‘happy ending’. Wandering, adventuring, vagabond-ingmeans traveling. Traveling from the surface to the depth, opening the most hidden chambers of our hearts, doors that would remain closed to a narrow mind. It means finding out who we really are, embracing our inner-selves and accepting it, always trying to be a better version of what we see in the mirror.