ABOUT
“Masterclass. Business & Art” was founded by the philologist and social communication specialist Dagmara Nawratek in Torgau, Germany. The project is co-financed by the European Union. This measure is co-financed by tax funds based on the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament.
A few words from the CEO of the “Masterclass Business & Art” magazine, founder and editor-in-chief Dagmara Nawratek
Dear Readers,
The purpose of the “Masterclass. Business & Art” magazine is to create an exquisite elite of excellent leaders – an international society of successful businesspeople, ambitious entrepreneurs and remarkable artists willing to share their path to mastery and reveal their secret strategy to reaching the top according to the words of Confucius: “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential […], these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”1 I am honored to announce that this goal has been achieved thanks to the support of the SAB, the Saxon State Parliament Foundation and the European Union, for which, at the very beginning, I would like to express my sincere thanks and deep expressions of gratitude.
The magazine would not have seen the light of day if it were not for the participation and involvement of my wonderful team, for whom thanks flow straight from my heart. I appreciate the great contribution and diligence of successful writer and publicist Dr. René Kanzler, responsible for the creation of the aesthetic website, reliable proofreading and conscientious translation into German, as well as the incredibly inspiring work of professional graphic designer Dave Scholze – talented creator of the gorgeous logo of Masterclass. Business & Art.
The message of my boutique magazine is addressed to a selected group of readers – masters of their craft striving for leadership, entrepreneurs building their personal brands, self-development amateurs seeking secrets for mental mastery, artists looking for their own niche and wanting to establish their name on the art market, as well as all connoisseurs of pure beauty, sophistication and refined lifestyle with passion. Addictive series of engaging columns and uplifting interviews motivate readers to broaden their mental horizons, to strive for the championship and artistry constantly polishing their own talents according to the words of Paul Cézanne: “He who has no sense of perfection is content with quiet mediocrity.”2 After all, we publish content shaping minds eager for knowledge grounded in the recta ratio factibilium (the proper criterion of things a person creates). Enthusiasts looking for reading that is nourishing to the mind and imagination will eagerly reach for a unique product that will provide them with many absorbing articles, mesmerizing images, as well as a multitude of original and enchanting inspirations that unleash creativity and help them to live their life with finesse – in the words of Oscar Wilde: “The secret of life lies in the search for beauty.”3
It is no secret that a publication in a prestigious printed press is today not only a luxury, but also a distinction that helps to guarantee customer trust, expand business contacts and establish new lucrative business contracts in the future. For this reason, I invite aspiring entrepreneurs and promising emerging artists to share their insights, expertise and experience in interviews alongside prominent personalities who constitute the elite of specialists in their fields. My magazine helps them to polish the desired image of their personal brands and to ensure their recognition, credibility and reliability by showing the full range of their broad competences. Thanks to unintrusive and non-pushy advertising in the form of effective content marketing, interesting interviews and sponsored articles it supports them in building the solid, smart image of reputable experts in their own fields to reach a new group of customers. It is worth noting that creating a personal brand is important not only for business owners, but also for artists. Sincerity, self-awareness, knowing your full potential, individual approach, genuine values, proper storytelling, finding your own niche – these are tools that will help them to highlight their uniqueness and exceptional features in order to start an incredibly fascinating journey to discover a completely new nature of their irresistible passion, to reinvent its essence and to write its own story, because what is most important to us is authenticity and truthfulness. So, get a taste of membership in our international exquisite elite of excellent leaders and give yourself a chance to shine brightly in the exciting world of elegance and success, raising your personal brand to a higher level. Open the door to a sophisticated circle of distinguished individuals from the outstanding world of business and art.
I firmly believe that people of art and culture, as well as successful business owners engaged in social activities, constitute the crème de la crème of our community, the elite of our society. That is why I encourage them to work together, support each other for the common good, building something exceptional and beautiful … For this purpose, I have created a wide range of diverse and multifaceted projects, including international social campaign for mental health under the slogan “Self-Expression Heals Depression” and the “Maecenas Project” helping artists find their patrons and show their work in the International Art Gallery “Elite Patronage” that the magazine provides media coverage for, as well as various publishing proposals supporting charity (read more here and there). Furthermore, I have decided to donate 10% of the proceeds from the sales of the “Masterclass. Business & Art” magazine and my publishing projects to art therapy. I deeply believe that art is not only a way to express individual personality, but also a medicine for the soul and an antidote to depression – the disease of our times. It plays an important role in the therapy of the human soul and can open the door to the world of the innermost emotions – in the words of Pablo Picasso: “Art washes away the dust of everyday life from the soul.”4 For this glorious intention, I invite real connoisseurs who aspire to show understanding for altruistic motives and the genuine commitment to the idea of social involvement in a refined way, regardless of their profession and industry, to establish their authority in the world culture and art enjoying the splendor of the “Social Engagement Company”, “Philanthropist” or “Maecenas” status.
Honorable statuettes and a certificate of participation await participants and sponsors of my flagship projects. Moreover, a wide range of effective marketing and advertising activities will certainly enhance the credibility of their public images. Respectable business owners know that a company’s reputation should be built on solid foundations such as loyalty and trust. My multifaceted projects will allow them to use their power and authority to promote the timeless values that align with the vision of their own brands: nobility, honor, good name in accordance with the lofty idea of patronage, following in the footsteps of Gaius Cilnius Maecenas – a famous patron of artists praised by Horace in poem Carmina II, 20:
„No vulgar wing, nor weakly plied.
Shall bear me through the liquid sky;
A two-form’d bard, no more to bide
Within the range of envy’s eye
‘Mid haunts of men. I, all ungraced
By gentle blood, I, whom you call
Your friend, Maecenas, shall not taste
Of death, nor chafe in Lethe’s thrall.
E’en now a rougher skin expands
Along my legs: above I change
To a white bird; and o’er my hands
And shoulders grows a plumage strange:
Fleeter than Icarus, see me float
O’er Bosporus, singing as I go,
And o’er Gaetulian sands remote,
And Hyperborean fields of snow […].”5
The poet pays tribute to Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, dedicating his literary work to him and expressing full gratitude for his support. The Roman politician, advisor and friend of Octavian Augustus was also a poet and patron of his contemporary artists, including Virgil, Horace and Propertius, whom he supported generously with his wealth, and that is why his name became synonymous with the protector of art and science. I trust that especially today it is worth promoting the idea of patronage, held by Horace in his poetic testament, which has the character of a message to posterity. We, as artists of today, can feel like heirs to this will, which shows what a significant role protectors, custodians and sponsors play in the world of culture and art. It is thanks to them, respectable business owners, the descendants of the “Tyrrhenian kings”, that Nawratek Media International has the privilege of building a global media empire for art, which is why I would like to honor them with the words of Horace contained in Carmina III, 29:
“Heir of Tyrrhenian kings, for you
A mellow cask, unbroach’d as yet,
Maecenas mine, and roses new,
[…] Are waiting here […].” 6
I sincerely hope that each new publication of the “Masterclass. Business & Art” magazine will be a wonderful opportunity for readers from around the world to savor the pages filled with entertaining content resulting from unprecedented collaborations with praiseworthy Sponsors, Philanthropists as well as honorable Crystal, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Diamond Maecenases in order to cultivate the noble idea, which Horace was a proponent of: “Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poeta, aut simul et iucunda et idonea dicere vitae.”7 (“Poets aim either to benefit, or to amuse, or to utter words at once both pleasing and helpful to life”8). This brilliant thought also guides us, which is the reason why our mission is to inspire through art and support art therapy. These two aspects, “prodesse” and “delectare”, become our message, which we will implement through many projects planned for the future. And for now, to ourselves, as reliable and dedicated team of this intriguing magazine, we wish that the wings of dreams and ambitions on which our interlocutors and publicists “float fleetingly” to the horizon of the mastery and leadership are as powerful and inspiring as the wings of the poet – the swan described in Horace’s poem.
After all, it is the swan – the sacred attribute of the Etruscan goddess of love Turan, the bird from the chariot of Apollo (the god of art and poetry), the animal accompanying the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, the ethereal and melancholic embodiment of the subtle and charming Odette from the fabulous and beloved by true music lovers ballet “Swan lake” by Pjotr Tschaikowski, and, finally, a charming symbol of muse, grace, beauty, nobility, purity, wisdom, love and perfection – that is the hero of the logo of our one-of-a-kind magazine whose layout is decorated in two powerful colors: gold (symbolizing splendor, dignity, prosperity, abundance, divine wisdom, trust, luxury, success, triumph) and violet (symbolizing creativity, nobility, spirituality, intuition, ambition, prestige, loyalty, luxury, elegance and wealth). Therefore, these are the values we will hold, creating an international exquisite elite of excellent leaders for high-minded reasons and for the common good.
Dagmara Nawratek
Nawratek Media International
1 Quote attributed to him.
2 Quote attributed to him.
3 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
4 Quote attributed to him.
5 Horace, Carmina II, 20, translated by John Conington.
6 Horace, Carmina III, 29, translated by John Conington.
7 Horace, Ars poetica XI, 3.
8 Horace, Ars poetica XI, 3, translated by H. Rushton Fairclough.
Pictures by René Kanzler.