The Ancient Icelandic Approach and How to Use It to Channel Creativity in Your Life.
As I stand in Grindavík, the gentle hum of the wind, with geysers in the background, and the pale blue colours emanate a calm, alien atmosphere. South of the Arctic Circle, at the edge of the world, it makes me teleport into a parallel universe.
The air is thick with a blend of white and an earthy scent of minerals. As I approach the lagoon, I hear a gentle conversation hum emerging. If you’re like me, adding the experimental soundscapes of Björk and Múm, adds a curious storytelling element to the experience, referring to some of the Icelandic sagas.
The novelist Patrick Chamoiseau notes them as one of the essential pillars of Icelandic identity. It allowed them to survive through the centuries and open themselves up to the world, even during the country’s worst moments. These sagas were, in short, their treasure, connecting them to each other.
Some of them refer to geothermal experiences as a way of healing, and since then, the hot water and minerals have been thought to have therapeutic effects. Science consolidated this cultural practise for them afterwards.
A traveller’s mindset carries deep learning once you encounter places and immerse yourself in different ways of living, communities, and cultures.
The coexistence of Icelanders with their unstable natural environment emphasises the importance of coexisting with nature.
The Icelandic culture has successfully integrated this practise across time. With great enthusiasm and peculiar humour, Icelanders move resolutely and never question progress or modernity, combining timeless wellbeing.
On the other hand, it carries a sense of community regarding their awareness of the unstable natural environment in which nothing is assured.
This experience makes me think about the framework they use. How might we imagine this concept not for the present but for 100 years in the future? In what ways might it be more inspiring or ambitious than the idea we have now?
If we take this framework and extrapolate it to our lives, how might we speak to our future selves in the areas we want to evolve? What if creativity has an essential role to play? How might we climb small steps daily, applying our empirical knowledge while being adaptable and innovative?
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