The idea of being a renaissance man has been around for ages, and essentially refers to a man who has become proficient in a range of fields. I’m sure you can picture some of them: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Niccolo Maciavelli, Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Galileo Galilei. Famous and talented men who shaped art, literature, science, politics, and entertainment for centuries after their deaths.

Each was a master or at least incredibly talented and accomplished in a variety of fields, and their work has been formative in the Western world. They have inspired the idea of becoming a Renaissance man, and by extension, a Renaissance woman.

Femme de la Renaissance!

Is being a Renaissance woman any different? Well no, but also completely. Women, their importance, and their achievements have been forgotten by history for years, so unfortunately we do not have quite the same amount of incredible historical women to inspire us. Yet, I find this freeing too. Where our ancestors were constrained by gender norms and prejudices, we can break out of that mold, and build a new life. We can create new ways of being, new ways of living!

Of course, I would not dare say that there aren’t any women for us to look to from this period! In fact, there are hundreds to look at, though I will keep my list short:

• Ten brilliant Renaissance women artists
• Four Renaissance Regents
• Extraordinary artists of the Renaissance

You are a Renaissance Woman – Start thinking big

So where do you begin?

FIrst, figure out what you like, and what you want to do.

Choose at least three things that you would like to be known for in your life, but don’t stop just there!

Author, Poet, Actress, Screenwriter, Artist, Director, Dancer, Singer, Producer, Songwriter, Model, Reader, Party-host, Mathematician, Scientist, Researcher, Interviewer, Activist, Mother, Traveller, Sculptor, Musician, Athlete… The list goes on, don’t limit yourself at all.

I recommend you write your Wikipedia page, as though you are reflecting on your life. Who are you? What is your biography in a few short paragraphs? If you want to go further you may write your personal life, or write about other categories. As an author, I would create a section for my books, and write about what inspired them and my process for writing them. It need not be too long, but it is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and to inspire yourself.

Now that you know what it is that you want to be, you need to start doing the things that will help you to become the renaissance woman of your dreams.

For each attribute you write down, come up with at least two actions you can take daily to embody them. For example, if you want to be:

An Author – write 100 words each day, put smaller pieces or short stories online to get your work ‘published’ so you feel further ahead.

A Model – get your pictures taken professionally to form your portfolio, take online classes on how to pose or walk for the runway.

These examples are simple, but it is the simple steps repeated over and over that will get you where you want to go. Do the small things, and the big steps will follow. Remember: nothing changes, if nothing changes!

Remember: You are a multitude – Stop shrinking yourself

Why is this such a huge but worthy task? Because as humans, we are already filled with a multitude of wants, needs, ideas, and hopes for our lives. We are never just one or two little things, and I know I don’t want my life to be either.

Perhaps you have heard this quote from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath:

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”

Sylvia Plath

Many have related to this quote and the themes it conveys, but this need not be the case! Where this woman sees all the possibilities in her life as fixed or to be done at the expense of others, I see possibility to life countless lives. I am going to do all that I desire to because I choose to, and nothing will stop me.

Remember: You can create change – Stop being lazy

Like most people, you’ve probably got the little voice now ringing in your head saying that you can’t do all of that! You can’t change and become (fill in the blank here)!

But you can! Think about all your inspirations and heroes in the current day, whether they be singers, sport stars, or business owners. Do you think they got to their place by believing that they couldn’t do what they wanted?

But CC, what about all the awful things happening around the world? Why should I have good things when so many others suffer? What can I possibly do to help them?

These are big questions, and important ones too, but if you’re thinking like this, you’re starting in the wrong place. We need to start from a place of curiosity, where we are focused on the next good thing we can do to help. You don’t need to end world hunger tomorrow, but you can give some spare food to the local food bank. You don’t need to beat yourself up because you can’t rescue all the children currently being trafficked, but you can donate to a cause that is helping.

Rather than getting upset about all the heinous things going on in the world, let’s start doing something about it. I am always reminded of this great quote

“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it. But, I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”

• Brandon Hatmaker, Barefoot Church: Serving the Least in a Consumer Culture

It reminds me that I have a responsibility to help those around me in the ways that I can, and to stop looking for something external to come and fix everything for us.

Remember: You have backup – Stop playing it small

What would you do if you knew that you could not fail?

Who would you become?

What if I told you that you already can do all of that and more?

For those of us blessed to have a relationship with Jesus and the Father in heaven, it is important to learn that playing it small doesn’t reflect God’s mighty power. He is a wise, incredible, generous, and loving God, who wants to bless his people with good gifts (Matt 7:11).

How can we show His true power, if we are not living big for Him?

How to manage limitations

Now, I want to touch on this because I think it’s important to the idea of being a Renaissance woman. In the time of Da Vinci and Shakespeare and Dante Dante Alighieri, they had countless women in their lives doing the domestic work necessary for these great men to pursue their passions.

Women don’t always have that, because we are expected to do those things. Additionally, for single women, there is almost no one else to help you. But fear not!

Learning to enjoy these things and subsume them into your life as part of your Renaissance is key! Cooking is not as hard as people might make it seem, and once you have a few staple recipes under your belt, it becomes much easier.

Laundry, cleaning, and the daily admin tasks that are required to keep a life moving well are all important and are required for all people to live good lives. Learn to optimise these tasks for yourself and your life, and practise gratitude for them. It sounds counter-intuitive, but being grateful for getting to do these tasks (rather than the ‘have to’ mindset) has changed my perspective on them completely.

While cleaning I get to listen to my music or podcasts and vibe! While cooking I get to grow my skills, chat with people, and connect over delicious food that nourishes my body. While working out I get to feel the effects the exercise has on my muscles and health. While budgeting I get to see how my money blesses me in my life and the lives of those around me.

Admittedly, these tasks can be time consuming, but there are ways to manage that too.

Batch tasks so that you are cleaning while listening or watching the things you want to. Pair your work with relaxing tasks so you will look forward to them more.

Set limits for yourself, so you can get work done without it taking over your whole day. If you’re anything like me and you’ve given yourself unlimited time to clean your house, you’ll end up cleaning the most random things (curtain rods anyone?). Set an hour for yourself and stick to it. You will likely finish your work within that time, and if not, then you know that you may need to allocate more next time. Either way, you have still cleaned up something in that hour, and now can move onto something else until its time to return.

Prioritise and reorganise! Sometimes, it is important to ask ourselves if we really need to be spending so much time on these tasks. Potentially, you are spending too much time on something and it is cutting into your time for other important tasks. Never fear!

That’s what priorities are for. Perhaps you do need to reorganise how you allocate time to things. Maybe instead of cooking dinner every day for 1-2hrs, you cook three meals in a single day or night, so they are ready for you to pull out of the freezer and heat up. Alternatively, you could try using a slow-cooker or ask someone else to cook for you. I know that there are a lot of cooking and cleaning examples here, but they are things that I struggle with most, and which I believe many others struggle with, too.

There are also hundreds of ways you can outsource help these days as well. Perhaps it is as simple as getting a cleaner in for an hour each week to do those bathrooms you hate, or hiring your little brother to wash your car. These things can cost money, but once again it comes down to your priorities: is your money more important than getting your book written? Than learning how to invest in the stock market? Than spending time learning your instrument? Than honing your skill as an athlete? It takes time to get better at these things.

Summary

So dear Renaissance Woman,

Use these words and lessons to help you on your own Renaissance journey. Remember that you are multi-faceted, that life is full and meant to be enjoyed – even in the mundane moments.

Remember that where there is a will, there is a way. Don’t get bogged down in the struggles you face or which you see around the world. Keep moving forward, keep learning, growing, and creating so that you can help others too.

Remember that these practises take time to learn and integrate into your life. Remember that being a Renaissance woman is a daily thing, that your life is the sum of all the small habits and actions you take each day.

Remember to enjoy it, and please, tell me all about it!