A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see the Statue David, in person. This luminous figure, standing alone with a sense of awe and mystery, took 3 years to create. It was merely a rough slab of marble for 35 years, deemed unusable for a sculpture…..until Michelangelo saw a vision of what it could be.
When I was living at the monastery (you can read more about that here), my spiritual director and I were meeting one day. As I shared my struggles in adjusting to a contemplative life in which all my thoughts, feelings and beliefs came to the surface in an intrusive manner, he told me a story. Whether myth or real, it resonated as true to me.
When 26 year old Michaelangelo was asked how he created the Statue of David, he replied,
“I simply chipped away all that was not David” - Michaelangelo
We all start out as blocks of marble. Untouched and unrefined. As we grow up, we are chipped away by family, friends and influences in our developmental years. It’s a strange feeling of starting to gain a sense of identity yet, not knowing who we are. Some of us give up early on being created, due to the pains of the chisel. Like the other sculptures in the renaissance days who had started the work on David, we give up and see ourselves as “unusable”.
Most of keep at it though, being shaped and formed in ways we don’t even realize. Next thing we know, we start to become something or rather someone. That someone is a rough outline of who we are. The vision is there but it’s still blurry.
It’s hard to trust the process. Most of us make peace with staying generalized at this stage. We fit in where we can and try to get by. Deep down though, we know there’s more. If we’re honest, we know that our life and the person we’re meant to be is more detailed and that we have more to give in the process.
More than just going to work, seeing friends, cooking and cleaning; just going through the motions. We often forget that it takes a lifetime to truly create a masterpiece.
Most of us need a clear vision that strikes us with such deep conviction, it will allow us to continue to do the hard work of becoming ourselves.
Michaelangelo’s quote is brilliant in that he speaks to the process of becoming in such a counterintuitive way. We often think of growth, development and process through the lens of addition. We correlate it with increase, attachment, ‘more’, expanding, etc.
The truth is, it’s actually letting go and detaching of what’s not you that more defines you than adding on. Just like the sculpter removed the clunky, plain pieces of marble, we too, are carved away.
It’s easier to stay generalized. To not feel the pains of surrendering what we’ve held onto so dearly for so long. I can only imagine the meticulous work of the artist. The curvature of his chisel and knife, creating image with each strike of the tool, over and over and over again.
We have to always remember our image, our person. The idealized, true self that lies beneath “what is”.
Others will be confused. They will loose interest and not see the work being done. They’ll misunderstand you or even deny you and your efforts. Who cares? The question is, “Have you given up on yourself?”
Get a vision for your life and the person you want to be. Have such an obsession with it that keeps you motivated through doing the hard work. That it would feel like your violating your very being if you didn’t work towards becoming it. That keeps you showing up on the days you wonder what the point is and if it even matters.
Let each stone piece that falls away be a reminder that it’s more free to live in the truth of who you are than to hide in the density of the un-lived.
One day, you will be revealed. Not in the same dramatic fashion of the Statue David but in a real, integrated sense that you were always meant to express. You’ll start feeling like yourself with nothing to hide. Someone who respects who they are and the work they did to get to that point.
It’s simply chipping away piece by piece, day by day until you’re complete. Until all that remains is…… you.
Questions
what’s the vision for your life and the person you want to be?
what tools are you using to bring that vision to life?
what pressures, insecurities or beliefs do you hold that keep you from doing the work?
Quote
“You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.”― Vironika Tugaleva
Beautiful piece, Wes. Thanks for sharing this. "Let each stone piece that falls away be a reminder that it’s more free to live in the truth of who you are than to hide in the density of the un-lived."