Michelangelo is quoted as having said:
Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.
It’s unlikely anyone reading those words would conclude that Michelangelo meant there is an actual statue that already exists inside each block of stone that anyone who is really looking for it could discover. The statue he would have discovered in a particular block of stone would undoubtedly not be the same statue another sculptor—Rodin, for example—would have discovered in it. Not being a sculptor, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have discovered anything other than more stone inside the block of stone.
Michelangelo, an exceptional artist who created many exquisite works, was describing the way he saw the material he worked with. No one else saw exactly what he saw. No one else created what he created. He didn’t simply hack away at a piece of marble with whatever tool happened to be at hand looking for what he might find inside it. He did what he did with skillfulness, with attention, and with intention. He devoted himself to creating works of art that he wanted to create and that we still want to look upon.
We each have our own set of tools and materials—skills, abilities, talents, inclinations, experiences, passions, and drives—from which to create. We can use them to hack (or chip) away at life or we can use them with skill, with attention, and with intention.
We can either keep searching for a pre-existing statue inside our piece of stone or we can create something from the stone.
