UNCOVERING THE MASTERPIECES INSIDE

I was reminded today of my favourite artist, Michelangelo. I'm fascinated by his sculptures in particular. Sketching or painting something with convincing realism is hard enough to do, but carving insanely intricate lines out of a massive, solid chunk of marble just astounds me. It's all the more baffling when you consider he had no power tools, and that he consistently worked through the night with nothing but soft, flickering candlelight to guide him.

Michelangelo said (paraphrased) that he never really created any masterpiece. He said that the masterpiece was always there, hidden in the marble. All he did was chip away the useless pieces. Emmm...excuse me? I'm guessing that it involved just a bit more than that, you modest man, you. This, in my opinion, is the kind of thing that constitutes real art. Step aside Justin Beiber (good grief).

The artist's quote always gets me thinking. What masterpieces are hidden away in me, masterpieces that will never see the light of day without some serious chipping away? In other words, without some serious work. And beyond the work, it has to begin with a conviction that there's something underneath that 'block of marble' that's worth doing a heck of a lot of chipping away at to uncover in the first place.

What works of art do you sense are locked away inside you? What has your Creator tucked away in your heart? It may be well hidden most of the time by the cares of this world and your doubt in yourself. However, you can't deny that there are those unavoidable moments when the clouds part and you see clearly, and you just know that you have something beautiful to share.

Isn't it time to start believing that you have something of value to offer this world? Isn't it time to start pouring energy and effort into an endeavour that you know will enrich not only the lives of others, but also your own? Let the chipping commence!
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Grant Alexander Cyster owns the blog entitled "I THINK, THEREFORE I ACHE.", offered as part of his Cape Town based freelance media business at: www.grantcyster.com