Our second research seminar that was delivered by Erin Griffey and Victoria Munn explored beauty ideals from the Renaissance and how this might be reflected in art produced at the time. Their work involved translating historical beauty recipes from this period and archiving them in a database they created.
A running theme throughout our seminars has been, the importance of researching something you are passionate about and personally find meaningful. In doing so, this will lead to higher-quality research. The idea behind this is that all research takes time and effort, and if you’re not interested, it will become arduous, and the resulting work can only be lacklustre.
I think what drew me to the research discussed in the seminar was the evident enthusiasm that Erin and Victoria approached their work with. Renaissance beauty ideals may seem to many, a niche interest, and personally, the topic fails to inspire me. But, after listening to Erin and Victoria speak about it, I found inspiration; not in the work itself but in their passion for the topic. So, it follows that to get people who might not find your research relevant or exciting, you must communicate the importance of the work effectively; a difficult thing to do if you, yourself, are not invested in it.
What may be exciting or relevant lies in the eye of the beholder, but effective communication and enthusiasm can draw the eyes of many.
