Repetition is Good. Repetition is Good.

“We already used that once, let’s use something else.”
— Someone In Every Project

Scholars hate repetition. Keepers of important collections and facts want to show as many as possible to the public whenever they get the chance.

Which means never repeating things.

Because repeating means giving up a spot for something we haven’t shown yet.

Of course, we can’t “repeat” a unique collection artifact (unless you make a facsimile). But you can repeat a word, an idea, or a digital image as often as you like.

Why would you?

Because repetition is good.

We can’t be transformed by something if we can’t remember it. And we won’t remember it if we don’t experience it several times. That’s why religion, education, and TV commercials are so repetitive.

An exhibition can change you only two times: when you are in one, and when one is in you — as a memory.

Here’s the thing:
Repetition is good. *

The next time someone says “we already used that once, let’s use something else,” hold on. Maybe repeating our strongest ideas and images is exactly what we should do.

* Yes, I have been repeating that.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
First-person interpretation. When a live person, often in costume, engages visitors while playing the role of a real or fictional character. A staff-intensive way to provide an emotionally powerful and memorable moment.