We Live in Liquid Times

We live in liquid times: the solid forms—the institutions, conventions, identities, and ideals—that defined Western Civilization can no longer hold their shape. The late Zygmunt Bauman, one of the leading sociologists of our time, introduced the concept of “liquid modernity” to describe the state of constant mobility and change we see in contemporary society. The modern world of the early 20th century was characterized by rationality, categorization, rule-making, and ordering, to make the world more understandable, predictable, and easier to control. The postmodern world we inhabit is focused on overthrowing tradition, creative destruction, and constant change—largely in reaction to the real and perceived failures of the modern world we’ve inherited. Bauman introduced the more descriptive and evocative terms “solid modernity” and “liquid modernity” to describe what had been called “modernity” and “postmodernity.”

While Bauman wrote extensively about the ways liquid modernity has affected our institutions, his primary focus is on how it affects self-identity. Our inherited idea is that the journey to adulthood is about the construction of a durable identity—a set of values, attributes, skills, and relationships that endure, that “stand the test of time.” Life was described as a pilgrimage. Today, we see life as a journey. We say, “the journey is the reward.” Our jobs, social experiences, living situations, and interests are fleeting. We are perpetually uprooted. We are tourists in a world overflowing with new political, social, economic, and environmental issues. Without a stable sense of who we are, we are subject to what Bauman calls “existential tremors”—increased feelings of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. We lose our faith in the future, in “better things to come,” and focus instead on controlling what we can, mitigating risks, protecting ourselves and our families.

While Bauman celebrates many of the freedoms that come with the dissolution of old institutions, conventions, and ideals, he says that finding out who we “really are” requires a sense of stability and security—some association with solidity in our lives. To be frank, Bauman is not optimistic about our ability to salvage the useful parts of the old world and work together on the creation of a new, more equitable, just, environmentally sustainable society. The odds may not be in our favor, but the work begins with a clear-eyed assessment of where we are.

Liquid Times and Creativity

When we think about solid and fluid forms, the first thing that usually comes to mind is how the forms look. Solids are stable. They may flex or twist, but they “spring back” to their original shape. At a molecular level, the atoms of solid materials tightly adhere to one another, forming one connected structure. Solids form barriers, they cast shadows, they harbor darkness.

Unlike solids, liquids can’t sustain tangential stress. The atoms in liquids share fewer bonds. Liquids change shape in reaction to pressure, they flow, splash, trickle, swirl, ripple, seep, and babble. We associate these attributes with energy and lightness.

Creative work emphasizes liquidity. We talk about being in “flow” when we are fully absorbed in a creative state. We celebrate the virtues of flow in music, the visual arts, dance, writing, architecture, and design. Contemporary artists are actively engaged in the creative destruction of traditional “solid” genres and forms through mash-ups, remixes, and the creation of new blended genres. But every dominant idea and cultural movement casts a shadow that obscures its unintended and unacknowledged consequences. What’s hiding in the shadow of our glorification of liquid art? 

The River

… one cannot bathe twice in the same river because already, in his inmost recesses, the human being shares the destiny of flowing water . . . A being dedicated to water is a being in flux. He dies every minute; something of his substance is constantly falling away.

— Gaston Bachelard (French philosopher), Water and Dreams

The flowing waters of the river help illuminate two critical aspects of the shadow life of liquidity. Bachelard helps us understand the first one: “A being dedicated to water is a being in flux.” We prize this aspect of liquidity—constant evolution—especially in our creative work. But as Bachelard says, when we are in the water, “something of [our] substance is constantly falling away.” Water moves, it washes and cleanses, but standing in moving takes a toll over time—the river is eternal, its waters wash over us and eventually wash us away.

We can stand in the water or we can float in it: we can be washed away over time or carried away by time. To float in the currents is to give up control—to go where the river takes you. Eventually you’ll lose sight of your home, your audience. Eventually you’ll lose your connection with the history of your craft and possibly your connection with your own earlier work. Why? Because you’re always moving at a pace controlled by the river. You are no longer putting down roots. You are responding to the next opportunity that comes your way, driven by the latest fads. If you’re always moving, you lose sight of the reference points necessary to gauge genuine progress, and you lose the sense of linear time required to gauge your development and create narratives.

If standing in the river isn’t a good option, and floating down the river isn’t a good option, how do you live in liquid times? It’s more important than ever to have clarity about your personal and creative values, your aesthetic, and your goals. Yes, these are challenging times, but exciting things are happening that open up new possibilities for creative expression and connection with audiences. Take an occasional dip!

Further Reading

Bauman was a prolific writer, especially in the later years of his life. His best-known book is Modernity and the Holocaust. He introduced his ideas on solid and liquid modernity in the book Liquid Modernity. Liquid Times: Living in an Age of Uncertainty is a short, accessible summary of the ideas first introduced in Liquid Modernity. Culture in a Liquid Modern World looks at how the dominant forces of our time, like globalization, have affected the concept of culture.