6th of March

“When asked how he made something as spectacular as his staue of David, Michelangelo replied:  “I did not 'make David'. He was already there, inside. All I did was to chip away the parts that were not David.”

- Michelangelo

This story has several versions, but this is the phrasing that I respond to the most. “All I did...” Love that. Just that little thing that resulted in his sculpture of David, a work that took him 3 years to complete. He finished it before he was 30 (he would be 535 today, by the by...). A colossal effort, resulting in an absolute masterpiece. 

I am going to assume this quote is relatively accurate, and though I admire the sense of humility that is conveyed, the sense that he was a channel, a facilitator for this work of art to come into being, I am even more intrigued by his perspective on the process. Obviously, he worked in a wide array of media, and only this particular medium lends itself so fully to this quote... there is no other form that is arrived at in quite this way. Most things are made, or built up to a degree, before there is editing, or altering, to get to your 'final draft'. I think most art is a mixture of creating and destroying, working something until it shines. In this case, you have a block of marble, where bits and chunks are consistently removed until you arrive at the shape you are trying to realize.

But this idea of removing the obstacles, of getting rid of anything that is not the final form, is truly cool. It assumes that there is a 'best version', or 'best form' for a particular work of art. I think this is true, though it is maybe rare that people can help to bring those things into existence. Perhaps, that is what we mean when we say 'masterpiece', or when we recognize that a work of art has changed the playing field irrevocably. 

So too, is this idea compelling in life. If I focus on trying to make something happen, it very well may happen, I may be able to manifest my best self, my best path toward that goal. Maybe. It might come about more easily, and more fully if I make room for an additional perspective: that of getting rid of any obstacles in my life. This does not mean I am going to mow over the neighbor, because I think they might get what I want before I can - quite the contrary. It means that I have to look deep inside and get rid of the things in me that will distract or derail me. It means I have to line myself up with that best self, that best path. I have to do what I am made to do, be the person I am meant to be. 

I wish there were a book where we could all just go look it up, but alas, it is more complicated than that. And maybe all the more beautiful when someone gets to that place... they create, they edit, they put in the work, and then they truly shine. If I can say this without being totally saccharine, when someone does put in the work, aim at something, and chip away the things that are not their best self, then they are, in the fullest sense of the word, a masterpiece.

Happy Birthday, Michelangelo!

the Keeper (word to think about/keep with me for a bit): 

"Masterpiece” - n. 1.) a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship. 2.) an artist's or craftsman's best piece of work.

May I conistently chip away the things that are not me, the things that do not help me to realize the things I am made to do. May I work toward my best self.

22nd of February

“There's only a certain amount of works you can make, so you have to make only the ones you really want to make. It's all about trying to be as productive as possible.” 

- Cornelia Parker

In a nutshell, use your time well. 

This from one of the most interesting, innovative people on the planet. Ms. Parker would be on my shortlist for people to have at the dinner table, if you could pick any 10 people from history. Not solely because she is an artist of incredible interest and output, but precisely because she can find an interesting angle on things that most of us would miss. She is a great searcher out of stories, and finder of facts, both obscure and obvious. Actually, I don't think there is a line for her between facts and stories... it seems that, to her, everything has a story, no matter how static an item appears to the average observer. The way she re-presents these finds is just stunning. Her stamp is unmistakable. Really kind of incredible.

And, she apparently needs to be mindful about what she spends her time on. 

Amazing. 

It is easy to imagine her just pulling amazing art out of the nooks and crannies, the way I might dust a shelf or vacuum the living room rug. A matter of course, a thing to do on a monday morning... but of course, selection, and reflection, are a huge part of it all. She is choosing what to spend time thinking about, choosing what she will work on, and more importantly, it seems that she makes an effort to not waste her time. There might just be a connection there between the originality and impact of her art and the not wasting her time thing. Huh.

Time is precious, fleeting, blah blah blah. But then, it really is. I can drift. Or, I can move along, bumping into things and reacting with varying levels of intensity. Or, I can choose my course, spend my time well, make the most of what I have been given. Though the choice seems obvious, I need to remind myself, day in and day out, to do this. 

“Use your time well.”

“Use your time well.”

“Use your time well.”

the Keeper (word to think about/keep with me for a bit): 

“Productive” - adj. 1.) producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops or other commodities. 2.) achieving or producing a significant amount or result.

I hope to bring all my creativity to bear and use my time well, to produce as significant a result as possible, time and again, in all quarters of my life. 

14th of February

“We must talk to each other as much as we can. When one of us dies, there will be some things that the other will never be able to talk of with anyone else.”   
- Henri Matisse (to Pablo Picasso)

What a stunning couple of sentences...! Of course, the lion's share of what both of these men did was stunning, but really... what a perfect expression of love and respect. What I love most about this is the energy around it... to feel as if you have more to say, than you have time to say it... and this on the scale of years. I don't get a frenetic, running-out-of-time thing here as much as I get a mutual excitement, and a bubbling over of wanting to share with - and learn from - one another. This, and the simple, yet profound comprehension that what they had between them was unique... that it was sacred. 

On this "Day of American Affection", I am going to try to get in under the red and the heart-shaped (before some of you get your knickers in a twist, those things are fun and excellent, they're just... you know... sapped of some of their oomph, given their everywhere-ed-ness), and take some real pleasure in the energy between me and those I love. 

the Keeper (word to think about/keep with me for a bit): 

"Rapport" - n. A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings and/or ideas and communicate well.

I hope to recognize that which is unique and sacred in my relationships with my friends and family. I'll look to celebrate those things in some small, private, poignant way.